Mo's Critic #21: The Child Martyr

Mo's Critic #21 : The Child Martyr

The trio composed of writer Mo Buck, director Jean-Marc Vallée and Golden Reel winner Brie Larson strikes again with a tense and moving drama, carried by strong performances in an otherwise difficult movie to watch. Mackenzie Foy is the breakout star here, as she continues her winning streak started in Season 1 with The Last of Us and gives a career-best and attention-grabbing turn in The Child Martyr. Vallée directs well and all of this combined make for a good piece of work. 

Mo's Critic #20 : The Question

Mo's Critic #20 : The Question

The superhero on which this movie is based may not be the most popular and known to the general public, but the movie that came out of it by Nicolas Winding Refn will surely put The Question on the map. Gosling's brilliant in a different superhero movie that captures the audience's attention either by Refn's unique visuals or the focused plot. A must-see for every cinema fan.

Mo's Critic #19 : Siren

Mo's Critic #19 : Siren

Newcomer Ben Collins penned an original screenplay with a great premise that was both dark and unique and with the relatively unexperienced Robert Eggers behind the camera, it had all the right ingredients to be a miss, but surprisingly, the end product is a well crafted and interesting picture that will leave a great impression once you left the theater.

Mo's Critic #18 : American Psycho the Musical

Mo's Critic #18 : American Psycho the Musical

The original film being a cult classic, it was a risky move to adapt it into a musical in the first place, but the stage adaptation is relatively better than the motion picture made out of it by Rupert Goold. The cast delivers a great set of performances, but something seems off in the transition between the stage and film. I'm usually not a fan of musicals in general and I gave this one a chance and it missed a fresh rating by a hair.

Mo's Critic #17 : Lucky Luke and the Daltons

Mo's Critic #17 : Lucky Luke and the Daltons

This feature earns a rotten rating based only on the disappointment it turned out to be. Filled with an all-star cast and a proven director, Lucky Luke and the Daltons fails to make the audience burst in laughter when it is mostly designed as a comedy. Given the strong box-office performance, a sequel will probably come out and the bar wasn't set high.

Mo'c Critic #16 : Trigger

Mo's Critic #16 : Trigger

It breaks my heart to give Peter Weir's latest a rotten rating, but ultimately, it doesn't deliver enough to warrant a fresh rating. The film deals with a difficult subject, well-handled by Ryder and Weir, but the cast filled with unknowns (except Brody and Boseman) fails to properly deliver the important message the film was trying to send.

Mo'c Critic #15 : Blackwater

Mo's Critic #15 : Blackwater

It was strange to see Leonardo DiCaprio getting a role in a movie directed by John Hillcoat, especially after he wasted about everyone's talent in Triple 9, after all, DiCaprio has a certain reputation to only work with big time directors. After viewing the captivating film, DiCaprio blew us away with a gritty performance and a strong plot to hold the pieces together and you're in for a captivating viewing.

Mo's Critic #14 : Blue Beetle

Mo's Critic #14 : Blue Beetle

Robert Rodriguez always had a unique visual style and this time, it can pretty much be said that it saved the movie from being bad to mildly enjoyable. It was risky to develop a story about a superhero casual may have never heard of prior to seeing the movie, but Rodriguez and his cast of veteran actors, like the underrated Scoot McNairy and Damian Bichir are able to salvage the film and make it worth your time.

Mo's Critic #13 : Bunny Lake is Missing

Mo's Critic #13 : Bunny Lake is Missing

Merriam Model's novel was the subject an adaptation in 1965, starring Laurence Olivier in Mark Strong's role and Carol Lynley instead of Natalie Portman. The film was dismissed by critics after its released and this modern take on the novel is more of the same. We have a talented actress in Portman wasted in a uninspired movie, just like Olivier in 1965. The premise is good, but it all crumbles at the end, but this is not the screenwriter, nor the filmmaker's fault, but the source material. Dominic Cooper is cringey as Portman's brother and the performances somehow felt flat. This is not a movie to be remembered, but certainly not the worst.

Mo's Critic #12: The Hunt

Mo's Critic #12 : The Hunt

If you look beyond the original film and look at Kenneth Lonergan's The Hunt as its own movie, you can consider it a great look at a character struggling with false accusations in a social climate that doesn't listen to him let fear conquer them one by one. Mark Ruffalo's performance is nowhere near Mads Mikkelsen's performance in the original, but I strongly think his work on the Danish film is one of the best acting performance in the decade, so Ruffalo did it right, without knocking it out of the park like Mikkelsen. The supporting cast is good and perform their role well, with a great range displayed by Tinsley Price at such a young age. 

Mo's Critic #11 : Without Remorse

Mo's Critic #11 : Without Remorse

This Tom Clancy adaptation led by the brilliant Tom Hardy delivers great entertainment with ultra violent scenes and some badass moments by the protagonist. The supporting cast doesn't necessarily help the movie to be better, but some performances are worth noting.

Mo's Critic #10 : The Banded Ants

Mo's Critic #10 : The Banded Ants

Guillermo del Toro's latest may not be the strongest piece in his repertoire, but it still is a solid entry. It is rare to see an animated film filled with battle sequences and the war genre attached to animated films very rarely, surprised me with how much it worked. The movie has its flaws too, from weak performances by some cast members lacking the charisma to deliver a good performance. Iwan Rheon continues to prove he's one trick poney with this performance after his remarkably flat performance on Inhumans and I'm sure someone else could have taken Doug Jones' place. He's a great performer, but it doesn't work on this film. Overall, it is an enjoyable movie for all the family. 

Mo's Critic #9 : Flicker

Mo's Critic #9 : Flicker

The original novel is a complex piece that transferred gracefully to the screen, thanks to John Malone precise screenplay. Rising star Alden Ehrenreich led the cast with a mature performance that will help him reach new heights. Flicker is a complex movie, but it's worth every second of your time.

Mo's Critic #8: The Fountainhead

Mo's Critic #8 : The Fountainhead

Director Zack Snyder was an odd choice to direct a drama and it's clear that the majority of his efforts went in production design, the film is absolutely gorgeous to look at, but there's little thoughts about everything else, which makes me wonder if another director would've saved the film, well for me. Gosling and Larson highlight a top-notch cast that bring their A-game, but I somehow feel that it could've been better.

Mo's Critic #7 : Akira

Mo's Critic #7 : Akira

Boasting some pretty impressive visuals, but with no compelling efforts behind the camera and the writing room to make this film entirely enjoyable. As it's often the case with manga adaptations, the movie can't capture the magic that made the source material great, even if the cast seems to enjoy themselves.

Breaking News : Mo Buck to Work on a Divine Comedy Adaptation

Breaking News : Mo Buck to Work on a Divine Comedy Adaptation

Inspired by the recent success of the religious-themed Paradise Lost, Mo Buck, president of Mo Buck's Writers Association is reportedly working on a adaptation of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. It is rumored that he's writing a trilogy that could happen if the first movie is successful.

More details to come.

Mo's Critic #6 : Blood Meridian

Mo's Critic #6 : Blood Meridian

Blood Meridian offers a grim and dark western filled with violent images and a surprisingly good direction from a relatively unknown director. It makes the most of its all-star cast, led by Russell Crowe. Many people taught the source material was unadaptable, but people at Last Resort Films were able to create what may be a masterpiece out of it.

Mo's Critic #5 : Splinter Cell

Mo's Critic #5 : Splinter Cell

Director Doug Liman and star Tom Cruise team up once again and deliver an action-packed and tense spy movie that defies the boundaries set by the genre in the previous years. Cruise proves once again that he can be the highlight of an action movie and regains a certain status in Hollywood after his recent performance and box-office flop.

Mo's Critic #4 : Solution

Mo's Critic #4 : Solution

Star and director Ralph Fiennes keeps things simple behind the camera to let the viewer concentrate on the dialogues and the character interactions and it works wonders. The perfectly cast film is practically flawless and offers a great look behind the scenes of a decision that would change the world. Congratulations to Last Resort Films for this excellent movie. 

Mo's Critic #3 : Salem's Lot

Mo's Critic #3 : Salem's Lot

With great performances by the cast led by Chris Pine and brilliant performances by Mark Rylance and William Hurt, Salem's Lot offers a quality entertainment that stays close to Stephen King's novel. Samuel Bayer offers what his probably a career-best work. Salem's Lot is way more It than The Dark Tower. 

Mo's Critic #2 : Peter and the Starcatchers

Although the cast seems to be enjoying themselves, the same can't be said about the viewers. A captivating visual spectacle that doesn't really deliver on the narrative side, Peter and the Starcatchers seems to be lacking something that makes for a good movie and the director didn't seem to be able to provide it. 

Mo's Critic #1 : Share

Mo's Critic #1 : Share

Share has many things working in its favor, like Scott Derrickson's direction and some surprising cameos in Golden Reel Award winner Ralph Fiennes and the equally talented Penelope Cruz. However, the lead roles are bizarrely cast and don't really fit their role, especially Cox and Smith and it makes for an unsatisfactory viewing.

Prestige Magazine #1

PRESTIGE MAGAZINE #1

Writer : Mo Buck

Ranking every film for each round so far.

Round 1

3- Dracula Origins

Despite Oscar Isaac's greatness, it is difficult to detect anything special that would make this film stand out from the bunch. Still it gives us a refreshing look at one of the oldest horror character of all-time, but Dracula Origins is a movie that doesn't really stand out compared to the other two he's up against. The ending suggests a sequel and one will probably be made after the huge chunk of money this one pulled up.

2- Rasputin

Love him or hate him, Johnny Depp remains one of cinema's biggest draw, proved once again by his performance in the titular role of Rasputin, in what may be his best performance since we first saw Captain Jack Sparrow on our screens. Director Rodrigo Garcia crafted a captivating that can feel boring at some point, but highly captivating a

second later.

1- Green River

This is the seventh time we've seen Ted Bundy portrayed on screen and Robert Downey Jr.'s performance of the monster is the greatest we've seen, a flawless performance that deserves to be showered with trophies. A movie that centers so much around a character can be boring and uninteresting when he's on screen, but the rest of the cast put up by director Vadim Perelman captivate us, but everyone of them is struggling when compared to Downey Jr.'s tour de force as Bundy.

Round 2

3- Invisible Monsters

The overly complicated plot and the overall weirdness of the movie doesn't make a pleasant viewing. Ryan Murphy, who showed great potential on American Horror Story, struggles to make the plot understandable for the audience and wastes a great cast, especially the always excellent Elisabeth Moss, who often seems lost on screen.

2- The Cry of the Owl

I never particularly enjoy an actor who directs itself, but the unproven Chris Evans surprised with a serious effort in a tense drama. It is easy to feel connected to his character's story, thanks to the tight directing and the well written screenplay. This movie is good enough to get noticed, but nothing that will set the world on fire.

1- The Dead Zone

This one is a little biased, Stephen King being one of my favorite authors, it is really hard for me not to enjoy an adaptation of one of his books. Joel Edgerton shines in the lead role and his surrounded by a competent supporting cast. The director Natale did a nice job bringing the book's vision to the screen, thanks largely to Phil Dolan's script.

Round 3

3- Hunt

An uninspired screenplay often leads to an unpleasant movie and this is exactly what Hunt suffers from. Despite boasting a nice cast, director Chan-wook Park was unable to create any tension that was profoundly missed in Mo Buck's screenplay.

2-Birth of Frankenstein

Everyone knows the Frankenstein story and this is why I was sceptical whena  new Frankenstein movie was announced by Last Resort Films. However, I was happily surprised by the quality of the movie crafted by J.A. Bayona and the nice performances by the cast help the movie to stand out from other adaptations. One of the finest entry in the Monster Universe.

1- Jonestown

One of the most twisted mind of the 20th century is brought to life by Josh Brolin in the exceptional Oliver Stone movie. Brolin anchors the movie with the finest performance of his career, exceptionally portraying the charisma of Jim Jones. The rest of the cast also delivers. Like a puzzle, after everything is put together,  Jonestown becomes the best movie we've seen so far by Last Resort Films.

Round 4

3- Sherwood

I don't think anyone can argue with me after I say that I've seen this story before. The cast seems to enjoy themselves, but a movie can't be good if you just want it to be good. Director Robert Schwentke looked lost and the movie suffers from it, never able to create a real identity that will separate the movie to other Robin Hood films.

2- Maria

It was a big gamble to adapt an obscure 100 year-old French Canadian book into a film,

but Jean-Marc Vallee did it with Last Resort Films backing. The plot doesn't derivate from the source material, with writer Mo Buck not taking initiatives. Backed by a solid cast, Maria may not be the best movie around, but still a solid entry.

1- Creature from the Black Lagoon

The biggest hit so far for Last Resort Films is also one of the best film they've released. With a more than capable cast and an exceptional production design, Creature from the Black Lagoon is one of the most visually impressive released so far by the studio. It may drag a little bit, but the Reeves-Serkis duo strike gold with their latest collaboration.

Round 5

3- The Raven in the Night

This one proves that attaching a world-class director and an all-star cast to a weak and uninspired movie doesn't necessarily work. The movie itself isn't bad and the cast makes the best with what they've given, but the viewer is left wanting much more and that's why it's ranked at the third place.

2- Libra

I could be a little biased with this one, because I'm really far from a Shia LeBoeuf fan. David Fincher assembled a great ensemble cast and crafted a tight film that left me ashamed of hating LeBoeuf, but something about the film seemed odd, or simply didn't clicked for me.

1- Paradise Lost

It's hard a sell a religious-heavy themed movie nowadays, but that's exactly what Last Resort Films did and Dolan struck gold. I was unfamiliar with the director's style, but the visual identity of the film, combined with its great ensemble cast, provide for a refreshing viewing. The heavy budget comes into play with the visual effects and the production design is simply outstanding. Paradise Lost gets the number one spot for Round 5.

Round 6 

3- Roanoke

A movie about the Roanoke colony has so much potential and is so open to interpretation that the Mo Buck's Writers Association was in the process of submitting a script to the studios when the news broke out that a movie based on the events will come out. Director Brad Anderson delivered a well crafted film for the first part, but it soon falls in a generic supernatural movie full of cliches.

2- Halo

This movie has received a lot of bad critics and is currently rotten on Rotten Tomatoes, but in fact, Alexander Skarsgard and Gareth Edwards did their very best to bring a visually interesting product to the world and a movie that every Halo fan should see. Edwards proves once again that he has a rare talent for directing mainstream action flicks with a tremendous budget and he nails it once again with Halo.

1- Every Secret Thing

Mark Romanek took a big gamble in creating a biography with mostly untested talent, but Daisy Ridley really shone in her role as Patty Hearst. Mostly everything about this movie is interesting and worth noticing and all of its elements combined create a nice piece of work.

Round 7

3- XIII

It's always risky to adapt a foreign material for American audiences, just like what happened to Besson's Valerian. Director DJ Caruso directed a visually interesting movie with nice performances by the vast majority of the cast, but all of this isn't supported by a strong screenplay. The story is derivative, hard to follow and doesn't make for an enjoyable experience.

2- Jack the Ripper

Despite having tons of potentiel with its renowned director and its all-star cast, Jack the Ripper ended up to be a huge disappointment and will not be remembered for its generic plot that doesn't add anything we already know about the infamous murderer. Tom Hooper looked like he didn't want to make the movie, but the film is saved by its terrific cast, lead by Ralph Fiennes with his bone-chilling performance as Jack the Ripper.

1- The Mummy

I was sceptical when a Mummy movie was announced and ended up to be more than surprised when I realised that this movie was far more superior than what we previously saw in other Mummy movies. Rami Malek works wonders alongside his supporting cast. The production values are beyond the roof and the film is really a pleasure to look at. The Monster Universe concludes its run in the first season with a huge hit. 

Round 8

3- The Osterman Weekend

It's become a habit for Matt Damon to work on Ludlum adaptations, but maybe he will reconsider the next time he'll be contacted to star in an adaptation of Ludlum's work, thanks to this train-wreck of a movie. Critically panned and a box-office bomb are words that could hurt his status with Last Resort Films, thanks to George Nolfi's uninspired film carried by an incomprehensible plot and amateurish directing.

2- Lancelot

In what could have been a mixed bag of old and new material, Lancelot offers a bit of fresh air to the dying Arthurian tales adaptation market, after Guy Ritchie's King Arthur flopped. Kit Harington is a likeable hero in this epic scaled movie with Alan Taylor's careful directing work. The casting of Grainger worked well and it is a return to form for Russell Crowe.  

1- A View from the Bridge

Francis Ford Coppola hasn't been in the spotlight for a while now, but he's brought back into our lives with poignant adaptation of Arthur Miller. Andy Garcia and Marisa Tomei, just like their director, offer their best work in years and are strongly supported by an extraordinary ensemble cast. Coppola tight directing combined with great performances carry this film to be crowned of the best Last Resort Films has produced so far.

Round 9

3- The Job

Much as already been said about the disastrous Guy Ritchie dark heist movie, but all of what's been criticized is really truly bad. Scott Eastwood is an unlikable protagonist and every other actor offered pedestrian performances. This film lacked something that Ritchie and Eastwood couldn't offer and I'm deadly certain that with another director and another star, this movie could have been good.

2- The Associate

I already voiced my dislike for Shia LeBoeuf in Libra, but even after is tour de force in Fincher's film, I can help but wonder why Last Resort Films chose him in the leading role of this John Grisham adaptation. Not that he's bad, but I think the role could have been offered to someone else. The film itself is weakened by Ponsoldt's uninspired directing, but still offers a nice viewing.

1- The Last of Us

I'll start this one with a bol statement : This movie breaks the video game adaptation curse and it's true. Last Resort Films gambled by giving the lead roles to mostly unknown stars, but that's what's been the most surprising about the movie. Mount and Foy deliver poignant performances that will surely get noticed. The final product delivered by the more than capable Rupert Wyatt exceeded everyone's expectations and will likely be remembered in the future.

Round 10

3- Skin Tight

It's not that Skin Tight is a bad movie, but the competition in this round is really stiff. Vince Vaughn is currently slowly reviving his career with great performances in mostly similar roles in Hacksaw Ridge, Brawl in Cell Block 99 and now with Skin Tight. However, the movie visits to many genres to consolidate its identity and for this reason, he’s ranked in the third place in Round 10.

2- Hiroshima

Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks always bring their A-game when they’re working together, and Hiroshima makes no exception to that unwritten rule. The supporting cast all add something to the movie. The film’s lack of action was criticized and that’s exactly why it’s ranked at #2 in Round 10. Hiroshima is still a great movie and let me be clear, I strongly disagree with people saying Spielberg should stop making more serious movies and go back to the summer blockbusters. Spielberg is a legend and he should do whatever he wants, he doesn’t have to prove himself anymore.

1- White Jazz

This choice might be difficult to justify, but hear me out. Andrew Dominik is one of the best director working today, even if he’s only made a handful of movies. His pairings with Brad Pitt always work and he’s always able to create visually interesting films with a lot of nuances. The story lets itself carried by Dominik’s excellent directing and Brad Pitt charisma adds up to the overall greatness of the movie.

3 Ups and 3 Downs from Season 1

Downs

3- Outside Hires

Mo Buck’s Writers Association scripts were often critically panned and being the only scripts not written in-house by Last Resort Films, things are not looking great for the Association. When joined for comment, Mo Buck, claimed that the upcoming scripts they will submit will be more fletched out and should be better. It remains to be seen if Last Resort Films will buy scripts from other talents outside the Association and if the outside hires will deliver better scripts next season.

2- Over-Reliance on Certain Stars

This one is purely personal, but I was irritated when I learned that Shia LeBeouf, Josh Brolin, Rami Malek, Oscar Isaac and many more actors had two starring roles in the same season. All of them are really talented actors, but LeBeouf really add to star in the two award grabber movies in the same season. He was terrific in Libra, but I’m pretty sure someone else could have easily make The Associate is own and that could have been a star-making performance. Oscar Isaac is a damn fine actor and one of my personal favorites, but I think his role in Paradise Lost could have been given to someone. This one is purely personal, and I know many will disagree with me and it’s fine, after all it’s just an opinion.

1-      A Tough End of Season

The end of Season 1 was financially difficult for the Studio with several movies flopping, more particularly The Job, The Associate, The Osterman Weekend and Skin Tight. These bad performances at the box office cast a dark shadow and leave a bad impression after the overall box office results.

Ups

 3- Box Office Success

Even if the end of the season was particularly rough for the studio, the overall box office results can be considered as satisfying, with several movies bringing in big bucks that will most likely bring to more big budget productions for Last Resort Films.

2-  The Talent Involved

Last Resort Films is relatively young, but it still managed to attract several big names to its production. Legendary directors like Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg directed and stars like Robert Downey Jr., Johnny Depp, Bradley Cooper, Joaquin Phoenix, Brad Pitt and Tom Hanks are among the big names attached to Last Resort Films productions.

1- The Monster Universe

Clearly the biggest highlight for the first season of Last Resort Films is the Monster Universe. With all the movies performing well at the box-office and all of them critically acclaimed, the Monster Universe was instrumental in Last Resort Films rise in the movie industry. Only the future will tell if the studio is able to replicate the success for its second season.

The 3 Most Anticipated Movie from Season 2

3- Salem's Lot

With Stephen King adaptations coming out every year, every time a King fan sees one can't help to anticipate the release. With Dead Zone being a pleasant surprise in Season 1, the anticipation is real for the adaptation.

2- Splinter Cell

With The Last of Us setting the new bar for video game adaptations last season, the pressure lies on Tom Cruise to reach the new standard. After being in development hell for a number of years, Splinter Cell was bought by Last Resort Films and every fan of the franchise is waiting for the Hollywood adaptation.

1- Share

After most of the scripts bought by Last Resort Films from Mo Buck's Writers Association ultimately disappointed, the pressure is on Jack Ryder, who penned Share, to reverse the tide. Ryder, the first screenwriter hired by LRF who's not member of the Association, has all eyes on him to see if a screenplay bought from a freelance, can actually be good and carry on to box-office success.