Echeverria Reviews

       It is officially Christmas day and that means that it is time to watch the ultimate Christmas classic about a psychologically troubled child that tortures some criminals with questionable intelligence and stars America’s former sweetheart, and Joe Pesci doing his absolute best to try not to cuss. Seriously though, this is the epitome of a Christmas classic, and its reputation is very well earned. Not only is this film funny, it has a lot of great messages of family, acceptance, conquering your fears, friendship, and to not get on Macaulay Culkin’s bad side.             I am not going to get into too much about what the film is about, because at this point, I believe we all know what the film is about. Family plans a trip, child gets left behind, Joe Pesci tries not to cuss, Daniel Stern screams hilariously, and Macaulay Culkin tortures people. These are all things that we know and love, and they are thin...

       I just want to start this review by saying that the film will not be compared to the book. Much like my Twilight review, the films that are based on books will be judged solely on how they translate to film and not whether they are a great adaptation of their source material. That being said, now we can begin the review. I do not think that you need me to tell you that this film is great. Honestly, the only reason I am even reviewing this film now is because I watch this franchise usually every Christmas season because they have one Christmas scene which to me is close enough. If Die Hard can be considered a Christmas film, why can’t this? This is a wonderful film and Chris Columbus brings such a vibrant joy that he typically brings to the films he directs. This was the start of a film franchise that became a phenomenon.             Christ Columbus was the perfect choice to direct this because of his his...

       What Drake Doremus was able to craft with this film is something so real and visceral, and one of the most beautifully tragic takes at love I have ever witnessed. Felicity Jones and the late Anton Yelchin were the perfect people to cast in the two primary roles as their chemistry immediately jumps off the screen and is undeniable. They deliver their lines flawlessly, and it helps that they had a great screenplay to work with. Be warned though if you plan on watching this film. It is not your typical fun, happy, dreamy romance film. This film will force you to look at love, and long-distance relationships in a realistic, and perhaps tragic light. What you will find in this film, though, is passion and visceral emotion, and that is sometimes needed to remind you that not every relationship is perfect, but that does not mean that it is not worth fighting for.             This film starts with Felicity Jones...

       In a rare turn of events, a studio finally listened to the initial reactions of the fans after the first trailer was dropped and actually delayed a film until they fixed the problem, and the end result was fantastic. From the moment the first trailer dropped, fans everywhere were voicing their displeasure at the style that the studio decided to take with Sonic. They went for a more realistic, rodent-like style that was the stuff of nightmares. It was an absolute disaster. After weeks of complaints, the studio made an announcement that they would redo the look of Sonic and delay the film a couple of months, and that might have been the decision that saved this film from what could have been an astronomical flop in the box office. The film went from impending doom to being one of the highest grossing video game films of all time.             The film itself is okay. It is not a fantastic film by any stretc...

       Why am I reviewing Chef this time of year? I will be honest, I spent majority of my time today cooking and forgot to do a review so here I am late at night reviewing Chef because I have had food on my mind all day. That being said, this is actually a really good film that has several good messages and gives you that nice warm feeling by the end of it. This whole film is basically the brainchild of Jon Favreau who not only stars in it, but also produced, wrote, and directed it, and you can see exactly how much it meant to him based on the quality of the film in general. There is very little to dislike about it. It is just one of those feelgood films that you watch whenever you want to just enjoy yourself. However, be warned, do not watch this film on an empty stomach.             For starters, the acting and writing throughout the film is definitely quality. I mean, it is not the best performance by any o...

       There is no way that you can rank the best action films of all time without John Wick being in the mix. It was the dark horse that came out and blew everyone away and essentially started the Keanussance that we are currently in. If we are being honest with ourselves, Keanu Reeves has always been a prominent figure in cinema with epic classics such as Point Break , Speed , and the Matrix trilogy, but this character and film is what launched him into absolute superstardom as one of the most badass characters of all time. I have not really tackled any action films up until now, and I realized that there was no better starting point than John Wick because it essentially revolutionized the genre. Let us take a look, shall we?             First and foremost, Keanu Reeves is John Wick. There is not another actor in the world that I can picture playing that character. The two have merged into one incredible bad...

       This is easily my favorite romantic comedy ever. It is one of the best romantic comedies ever made. This is a romcom that is not just good as a film of its genre, but it is good as a film in general. Michael Dowse does a wonderful job crafting a very laid back romcom that has a ton of heart and a bunch of laughs while also being paced extraordinarily well and looking fantastic. There are several things that drive this film, and I am going to list every single great aspect of it because I love it so much.             First and foremost, the best part of this film are the performances of Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Adam Driver, and Mackenzie Davis. As a pair of friends, they all have fantastic chemistry with each other. The dialogue just flows so effortlessly between them and it comes across as just friends having a conversation rather than watching actors perform in a film. The friendship between Radclif...

       After the week that we have been having, I just needed to review something that was dear to my heart and what better choice than one of my favorite films of all time, the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . I watch this film all the time. It is even a Christmas tradition for me. I am not quite sure why, it just is. So, since I love it so much, I figured I would talk about the elements of the film that I have extremely enjoyable so that maybe you can give it a chance if you have not, or maybe you love it too and we can share thoughts. With that being said, let us get started on the review.             The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles carries so much charm. All the voice actors did an amazing job and they fit their characters to perfection. They sound exactly like how I expected the turtles and Splinter to sound. It is difficult to convey emotion without using your actual face, but all of them...

       If you follow my social media pages, you know that I have made it no secret how much I dislike this movie, but in the sake of fairness and because I am in the holiday spirit, I have decided to give it one more shot and give you my honest assessment of the film. Here we go. Right off the bat, I still stand by my original sentiments that this film is not all that good. I just feel that if you take off the nostalgia goggles and remove the way it made you feel as a child and just watch it for what it is now, it holds up poorly. The writing just is not that great and overall, the film feels sluggish from the beginning. I found myself not invested in the children that are meant to be the protagonists, and it seems like Disney was not that invested in them either because despite being the protagonists, they take a backseat to the witches which end up not only being the focal point to everything, but also the stars of this film. On every cover and every social media p...

     Obviously, there was no way that I was going to let the Halloween season pass by without reviewing at least one zombie flick and what better choice than the one that I probably consider my favorite. Now, there are several remakes of horror films that turn out terrible. I completely understand the argument towards not remaking horror films because they do typically turn out brutal. Halloween , Friday the 13 th , even A Nightmare on Elm Street , these are all horror remakes that were terrible. However, from time to time you get a good remake, and Dawn of the Dead is one of those films. This film rules on so many levels. It is exciting, gory, scary, intense, and has a ton of emotion which I believe is important for any type of film. If there is nothing or nobody to care about, what is the point? This film gives you plenty to care about and makes the deaths matter.             This film just starts off wild from the ...

       If you would have told me a decade ago that Jim from The Office was going to star in a highly successful sci-fi horror film, I would have probably believed you because he is a terrific actor. However, if you would have also told me that he was going to direct that same exact film, that I would have been a lot more skeptical of, but here we are. John Krasinski has gone on record saying that he is not a major fan of the horror genre, but that he agreed to direct and star in this film due to its family element that is present. That same family element is what helps separate this from other horror films, especially those of the sci-fi genre. While the creatures that terrorize the characters are clearly important, they are not the main focus of the film. The film tackles various issues such as family loss, loyalty, acceptance, frustration, and love.             Right from the opening scene you can tell that t...

       Since my last reviews have been of horror films that have come out years ago, this week I wanted to tackle something that was much more recent in our minds and thus I picked The Invisible Man . I did not have the luck of watching this in theaters, but I did manage to get my hands on it once it came out to home media and so I turned off all of the lights and watched it one late Saturday night and let me just say that it is a great film. It might arguably even be the best crafted film of 2020, and no, I am not joking. It is incredibly well-written, and the performances are all superb, especially the masterclass performance given by Elisabeth Moss. There are several elements of the film to enjoy but let us start with the most obvious. Aside from having terrific writing, the actors all present themselves as truly believable within the context of the film, especially Elisabeth Moss. I know the Academy does not typically nominate actors for their performances in h...

       If ever there was a character study that you were going to watch, then this one has to be in high consideration because American Psycho not only presents one of the greatest characters ever written and portrayed in Patrick Bateman, but it also compliments him with an intricate story full of twists, psychology, dark humor, and some of the best monologues in film. The film actually starts off with one of the best monologues in film in Patrick Bateman’s morning routine. Right from the start you understand that this is not a normal guy. He is someone that is deeply detached from reality and is a complete and utter sociopath, and honestly, that is the type of thing that gets you invested if you are looking for a good horror/slasher film.             Christian Bale does an absolutely phenomenal job portraying Bateman. It is either his best, or at the very least one of his best performances in his illustrious c...

     Without a doubt Scream is one of the most well-crafted horror films that is justifiably given credit with revitalizing the horror/slasher genre. Everything about the film works. From how meta it is to the kills to the mystery to the conclusion; it is a film that works on several levels. The cast is one of the best things about the film, as Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, and Skeet Ulrich all do a fantastic job to the point where I cannot imagine anyone else playing their characters. The opening scene of the film might be one of the best in the horror franchise. It sets the tone for not only the premise, but also the overall feel and style of the film, including the fact that it supposedly takes place in the real world where movies like Friday the 13 th are acknowledged.             From that opening sequence, the film does not let up at all. There are several different plots for ...

       J. A. Bayona pulled absolutely zero punches when he made The Orphanage which is truly something considering it was his debut feature. I absolutely love this film. It is not crazy to say that this is probably in my top five horror films of all time. It is just that good. But what exactly makes it so good? I wanted to review this because not only is it a great horror film, but it is also presented in the Spanish language, and I am a big advocate for foreign language films because they are some of the best. If you can get past the fact that you have to read subtitles throughout the film, I highly suggest that you check this film out. Now, let us discuss why you should.             For starters, this film is actually scary, and not in the jump scare type of scary. It genuinely brings a chill to your spine and builds up tension throughout it with its use of imagery, mystery, myth, and sounds. The performances...

       The first horror movie character that I was ever terrified by was without a doubt Chucky from Child’s Play . My two older brothers decided it would be funny to prank me by using a Chucky doll to scare me and it worked better than they could have ever imagined. In fact, I could not sleep by myself for over a week. In the spirit of that, and in the spirit of Halloween season, I just had to review this film and see how well it holds up. The answer, it actually holds up pretty well. I would not claim that it is incredible, or even great, but it is overall good. Let us take a look, shall we?             Right off the bat you know you are in for an interesting film because it shifts from a basic crime chase to a spell being chanted that results in a freaking thunderstorm that blows up a toy store. Honestly, that is a fitting opening considering this film teeters between good slasher and campy horror throughout...

       Let me take you back to 2003 when a young Leo Echeverria was watching cartoons in his room at night when his older brother suddenly decided to barge in, alert him to the fact that The Ring was playing on TV, put it on, and then promptly left the room. Now, for whatever reason, I did not change the channel after this exchange, and that is how I grew up terrified of The Ring for years before I finally decided to re-watch it to kick off my Halloween season of film reviews. Now, I will be honest, I was pretty worried heading into this because this movie did traumatize me as a kid, but in the interest of all of you, I decided to be an adult and conquer my fears, and I will be honest, it was not bad. The film is actually not as scary as I thought it would be, but it does have quite a bit of creepiness to it and the overall way it was shot and the color scheme used on it amplifies this.             Naomi Watt...

       This film marked a very interesting time in my life. There I was, bored in Mexico, nothing to do when suddenly my aunt brings over a DVD copy of The Day After Tomorrow . So, with nothing else to do I decide to watch it. And then I watched it again. And then again. You get the idea. This film just clicked for me, but I think the reason it truly clicked for me was because it introduced me to Jake Gyllenhaal who would go on to become a big part of my love of film. In a way, this film is what made me fall in love with film in general because of the performance of Gyllenhaal and the way it showed me that you didn’t need crazy explosions or superheroes and space battles to make a movie exhilarating. I know that this film was a miss for many but let me just try to persuade you to give it another chance by talking about all the good that the film does.             The main reason why you should give this film a ...

       Good Boys must be one of the more interesting films I have ever reviewed because while I am typically not a fan of gross-out humor, I found this one hilarious. The screenplay is perfection because when you consider that the characters are supposed to be in sixth grade, the little jokes and misunderstandings and mispronunciations amongst them is equal parts logical and funny. What I enjoyed the most about this film is that it does not just rely on its disgusting humor, but it uses that humor to compliment a story that is actually full of a lot of heart and has some great messages. The irony in the fact that kids cannot actually watch this is not lost on me because it really does have great life lessons that many kids would benefit from. Kids need to understand that friendship is important, and that being popular is not the end all be all of school or even life. It is important for kids to see that it is okay to chase what you want, and to not give up on what yo...

       I don’t think that we will ever fully escape the pop culture phenomenon that is Twilight , and with it being a hot topic again, I figured it was time to revisit the 2008 blockbuster and see how well it holds up in 2020. Okay, where do I begin? I have some major issues with this film, but I think my biggest issue with it is that Bella Swan is absolutely the worst protagonist to ever be presented in such a mainstream film. My main issue with Bella is that she makes no decisions for herself. Throughout the entire film everyone else decides her fate for her, and when she finally does want to make decisions for herself, it is simply because she thinks that it will help her relationship with Edward. It sends a bad message to anyone watching. She is also rescued at every turn of the film. She presents no real value to the film except for being the character that needs everything explained to, which brings me to my next issue, the exposition. There is so much expositi...

     Let us talk about the film that would go on to be Alfred Hitchcock’s magnum opus. To many, Hitchcock is the greatest director of all time, and Psycho is widely regarded as his greatest film, so it would not be a surprise to know that Psycho is one of the greatest films ever made. Even still, it was a film that not many wanted to be made. Paramount wanted another mystery/thriller type film a la North by Northwest , but Hitchcock was so adamant about wanting to make Psycho that he ended up financing it himself. That level of belief that he had in himself is one of the reasons why the film turned out the way it did. He pulled no punches and made decisions that at the time simply sounded insane, but those decisions made for a fantastic film.             The first act of Psycho feels nothing like what the film would go on to be. It starts off like many Hitchcock films do. You are introduced to your main protagonis...

    Okay, obviously I have been away from the blog for quite some time, but I was just incredibly busy and overwhelmed with finishing up my degree. Now with that taken care of, I wanted to come back to this, but there will be some changes. For starters, I have gotten very comfortable with doing star ratings from half a star to five stars, so that will be the rating system that I use going forward. Secondly, this blog will no longer be limited to just new films. I will be reviewing film, television seasons, books, and the occasional video game. Finally, since this will no longer cover just new films, it should be easier for me to write reviews on things, so I plan on releasing a new review every Friday. I hope you all enjoy these changes and I hope you continue to support the blog. I appreciate you all greatly.