Aladdin (2019)

I'm actually really on board with the recent trend of remaking classic Disney animated films in live-action, but Aladdin is not very good. The story is kind of flimsy. There is new music made for this adaptation that does not gel with the original. Alan Menken from the original, and Pasek and Paul of La La Land fame, wrote cringy pop music. Some of the songs are actually not even long enough to qualify as songs, merely two or three sung lines. It is the exact criticism that people who don't like musicals have: the switch from singing to speaking is too abrupt. The acting is good but the singing is not quite hefty enough from the leads. It is nice to hear Will Smith singing again. He is actually quite good, even though I was skeptical of him at first. He adds some much needed humor and levity. The production, set, CGI and costumes are beautiful, but I'm not sure about the accuracy of the costumes. They seem too colorful and revealing for Arabian dress. Jasmine is modernized, given a voice and more agency. That was a nice touch, but the accompanying song is not good.

Suicide Squad (2016)

Suicide Squad was pretty terrible, not as bad as everyone said, but by no means good. There is definitely a style, but it's a strange one. The opening, a montage of origin stories, looks cheap with the punk video game writing on the screen. Viola Davis is too good for this. Margot Robbie is even too good for this. She does what she can with the little she is given. And Jared Leto is a maniacal freak. He scared the heck out of me. Despite a more unique idea, the execution of the film is poor. The plot is borderline boring. These superhero, or super villain, movies just aren't exciting anymore. 

Concussion (2015)

This is a pretty solid and predictable movie. No frills or surprises, just exactly what you'd expect from a sports movie--or a football game.  The movie is about Dr. Omalu, a Nigerian medical examiner living in Pittsburgh where the Steelers are king. He is good at what he does, and does his job with care and respect. When his job only asks him to find the "how" he also searches for the "why" to understand the patient as he was in life. At its heart, it is a movie about a skilled immigrant (who does the job better) trying to become an American. He does what he thinks Americans do, by "faking" it. Soon he comes to realize that Americans care about one thing only: football. And corporations care only about money.

The movie is very Will Smith-centric. He plays the man with many degrees very convincingly. He sounds smart, nailing the scientific terms. He keeps the accent on the whole movie. Apparently, he doesn't sound quite Nigerian, but he certainly sounds African. It's a singing kind of accent; his voice goes up and down a lot. There is a scene in which Omalu tries to convince the man from the NFL to "tell the truth" and he his passion for his work shows honestly. It is his best performance in a while. 

Focus (2015)

Focus is a heist movie, or rather a heists movie.  Unlike a typical movie that culminates in one big heist, this movie has two smaller ones.  As a consequence, there is no climax.  In such a slick movie called Focus, I was expecting a big twist at the end that I would have noticed if I had focused more.  This was not the case.  There is a twist, but it is by no means monumental.  Overall, I was disappointed by the ending.  It felt small for the glamour of the rest of the film.  The final heist was not nearly as clever as the first one. I appreciated the small twist of the first one, but expected more on the last.  The whole movie has a really sleek feel.  Will Smith and Margot Robbie are both very glamorous, kind of funny too.  There are times when I genuinely laughed, but other times when the film takes itself too seriously in contrast.