​The first John Wick film is the perfect kind of movie. A film that had literally no hype besides the fact that it looked like an entertaining, mindless action film, John Wick was one of those rare instances where a movie with no expectations ended up being surprisingly awesome. Watching Keanu Reeves take revenge on a Russian gangster for killing his dog and stealing his car, all with the backdrop of a mysterious assassin culture, was no less than jaw-dropping at its peak moments. So, when the prospects of a sequel started becoming a reality, I went from extremely excited to instantaneously nervous that the film would fall into the sequel trap of becoming too bloated or over-the-top. Luckily, John Wick: Chapter 2 captures everything that was entertaining about the original film and dials it up just enough to deliver a satisfying sequel that doesn’t pull any punches.

Taking place soon after the events of the first film, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) finally begins to feel as though he can settle down and live a relatively peaceful life. With his new, nameless dog by his side, he begins to return to the life he left the assassin game for. That is, until the crime-lord Santiago D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio) comes knocking, demanding that John pay up on a favor. Thus, John is left at a crossroads, having to decide between returning to a life he so desperately wants to leave or get on the bad side of a powerful enemy.

Like the original, John Wick: Chapter 2 thrives on its ability to create a criminal underworld that is unlike any other that I have ever seen portrayed in a film, creating an insatiable hunger for more information about its roots and workings. Building on the scraps of information we are given in the original, the movie adds details about how assassins in this universe operate and plan their attacks, which is so cleverly written that it makes me wonder how no one ever thought to do an action movie quite like this before. The sequences of watching John prepare to take out a foe, or interacting with other members of the criminal underworld in the Continental (a global chain of hotels that assists assassins, under the one rule that no violence is committed under their roofs) helps bring weight to the film’s characters and action in a way that few shoot-em-ups manage.

And then there is the action itself. It’s hard for me to describe in words how graceful, artistic and absolutely astounding it is to see Keanu Reeves pull off the moves from the amazing choreography and stunt teams. The dynamic nature of the action truly makes the character of John Wick feel like the ultimate badass, especially when he does something like pin a bad guy to the ground with a shotgun, reload the gun while still pinning the guy and then shoot him (that actually happens!). Where many films tend to fall short in the action department because of over-compensating special effects or over-crowding the screen, John Wick: Chapter 2 revels in its ability to leave you awestruck at the might of its physical stunts. I audibly gasped at action segments three separate times. It’s that good.

If John Wick: Chapter 2 were a sequel to any other movie, I would probably be slightly more upset at the fact that the movie lacks innovation when compared to the original, feeling very much like an extension rather than a sequel. I’d also probably be more annoyed by the film’s insanely sequel-baity ending, feeling far less conclusive than the ending of the original and far more like the director is hoping to get funding for a third film. But these issues don’t stack up to the pure joy of watching John Wick tear through mobsters and assassins like they aren’t even there. Director Chad Stahelski, who previously worked as a stunt coordinator for The Matrix films and V for Vendetta, is a master of his craft. I could probably watch 50 more films just like this one and never be dissatisfied. So, at the end of the film when John says he’ll kill anybody who stands in his way, the only thing I could say was “yes, please.”

Grade: A

I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that The Lego Movie was the surprise hit of 2014. I think most of us (myself included) expected the film to be a lazy cash-grab or a giant, glorified Lego commercial, and were then completely blown away when it turned out to be one of the most entertaining and unique animated films to be released in years. This was enabled (along with the great writing and voice-acting) by the film’s inclusion of characters from all the many IPs that Lego produces sets for- from Star Wars to Harry Potter to DC’s super heroes. The Lego version of Batman, voiced by Will Arnett, was a particularly fun surprise. Although I was once again skeptical of an entire movie based around the character, The Lego Batman movies manages to be just as fun, if not nearly as unique, as its predecessor.  
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In Lego Gotham City, Batman (still voiced by Will Arnett) seems to have it all: he’s loved by the citizens, he’s got tons of cool Bat-vehicles, and he’s just saved the city yet again from The Joker (Zach Galifianakis). Although the Joker gets away, he soon surprises everyone when he turns himself (and all the other villains in Gotham) in. Suspicious at his seeming change of heart, Batman is determined to discover with his nemesis is up to.  However, he also has to deal with the new Police Commissioner, Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson), who is trying to get him work within the law rather than outside it, as well as a young orphan named Richard “Dick” Grayson (Michael Cera) whom he accidentally adopted. Soon, he realizes that he may have to face something far worse than a supervillain: his own fears about getting close to other people. 

In many ways, The Lego Batman Movie is quite comparable to the last film in the series. It possesses the same whacky tone, rapid-fire jokes, and ridiculous amount of references as the first. Actually, if anything, all of this is amped up even further, but tweaked to fit a superhero movie. For example, the movie starts with an almost Deadpool-esque, fourth wall-breaking montage narrated by Batman, there’s a long sequence of scenes from every previous Batman movie recreated in Lego form, and the password to the Batcave is “Iron Man sucks”. Just as the last film took delight in hanging a lampshade on dozens of tropes we take for granted in adventure movies, this film revels in doing the same thing for superhero tropes in general and Batman conventions in particular- the homoeroticism between Batman and Robin gets a lot of mileage in particular, but they also poke fun at Tom Hardy’s now-iconic Bane voice from Rises, some of the more obscure members of Batman’s rogues gallery (Condiment King?) and a few of the especially absurd parts of the campy Adam West series (and yes, I’m talking about the Bat-Shark-Repellent). The director, Chris McKay, worked on Robot Chicken for several seasons, and the influence on the movie's tone and humor is obvious (though this movie is of course kid-friendly).

The technical aspects of the film are wonderful as well. The voice acting, in particular, is phenomenal. I honestly vastly prefer Arnett and Galifianakis’ interpretations of their characters than Affleck’s and Leto’s from the live-action DC movies. Batman as an arrogant, selfish, beat-boxing edge lord and Joker as basically Batman’s insecure boyfriend are so much better than whatever Zack Snyder and Warner Bros. are trying to do with the live-action movies. In addition, the action scenes from the movie are great (a step above the last movie), and I’m still amazed that the special effect artists can construct such amazing-looking visual effects from digital versions of plastic bricks. 

The only negative thing I can say about this movie is that it’s not quite as original as the previous. But that’s really only because the last film was such a surprising smash hit. There might come a day when the distinctive style of the Lego Movies stops being so funny, but today is absolutely not that day. Also, I’m not sure what it says about Hollywood when the Lego version of a DC movie is this much better than the actual “real” DC movies. Regardless, The Lego Batman Movie is another surprising hit- a fun, action-packed and incredibly funny film that will please audiences of all ages. If you like Lego, Batman, Lego Batman, or good movies, you can’t go wrong by seeing this.

Grade: A

When I sat down in the theatre to watch Fifty Shades Darker, it became quickly clear that I was not a member of the film's target demographic. The theater had it usual two rows of film critics, but the rest of the audience consisted of middle-aged women. This was to be expected, as that was the same demographic targeted by the series of books on which this film is based, but I feel like it is important for me to express that this movie wasn’t meant for me before I start ripping into it. That being said, the fact that the movie wasn’t meant for me doesn’t mean it didn’t still feel like a colossal waste of time. 
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The movie, a sequel to 2015’s Fifty Shades of Grey, continues to follow the relationship between Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). Steele, whose relationship with Grey abruptly ended after being exposed to the darker side of his sexual preferences, is starting a new job as the assistant to a fiction editor. Grey, determined to remain a part of Steele’s life, promises her that their relationship will be more open and he will try to subdue the darker parts of himself. But elements of Grey’s past begin to surface, as Steele realizes that a long-term, serious relationship with him is not as easy as it seems.

Rumor has it that the original Fifty Shades of Grey novel actually started out as fan-fiction centered around characters in the Twilight series. After having watched this movie, I feel like there is no way that isn’t true. Watching Fifty Shades Darker feels like watching a soft-core pornographic film, except the porn isn’t even good and you can’t skip through the rest of it to get to the porn. The acting is wooden, the dialogue like something out of a 70’s soap opera and the implied chemistry between the two leads absurdly lost in the haziness of the performances. Steele and Grey don’t seem to have any similarities or chemistry between the two, and the performances do not do well to mirror that. 

It’s hard to talk much further about the film when so little seems to happen. The film is so void of any action, intrigue or meaningful conflict that is ascends to almost The Choice levels of boredom. I found myself feeling as though the two hours which the movie crawled through seemed longer than entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. This movie struggles restlessly to stay afloat for its duration, but forgets everything that makes a movie interesting. It’s dreary fodder, and definitely is not worth your time. 

Grade: D