Movie Review: Every Secret Thing

I was initially compelled to watch the crime drama Every Secret Thing for two main reasons. First of all because I typically like movies that are mysterious and suspenseful, and also I enjoy several of the actors that were cast in this film. Let me cut right to the chase: I was not very thrilled with this movie. Although it did have some elements that were done right, it fell short on almost every aspect possible. I will elaborate further, but first let me give you a quick synopsis of what Every Secret Thing is about.
The movie begins as two young girls, Alice and Ronnie, go to a pool party together. They are distant from each other and only hang out together because Alice's mother doesn't want Ronnie to feel left out. Walking home from the party, the girls steal an infant from the porch of a house and attempt to care for it, but the baby eventually dies and the girls both go to prison for seven years. Soon after their release, a local toddler goes missing from a furniture store and Nancy, the same police detective that worked on Alice's and Ronnie's case, is also assigned to this new one. Upon further investigation, Nancy suspects that the two events are linked, and that Alice and Ronnie might be involved with a second missing child case.
Let me begin with the pros of Every Secret Thing. What drew me to this movie in the first place were the actors that are in it, and honestly they all did a good job portraying their individual roles. I especially liked the characters of Ronnie and Nancy, played by Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Banks, respectively. I also thought that the storyline of Every Secret Thing was unique and very original, and I was somewhat drawn into what was playing out onscreen. However, this is pretty much where the positives stop for this film.
Despite the unique plot, it didn't provide me with a lot of surprising moments or truly thrilling "on the edge of my seat" scenes. The story that Every Secret Thing centers on is also quite unbelievable in the sense that an unattended infant is just randomly snatched up by two young children who have absolutely no reason to do this. This is just something that is fairly inconceivable in reality. But the glaring issue of this film is simply its slowness. The plot is like proverbial molasses, slowly lumbering along and taking much longer than necessary to get its main points across to the viewer. Every Secret Thing is not a long movie, but despite this its hour and a half run time still seems much too drawn out.
So in conclusion, I would say that Every Secret Thing is probably not a film that I will be recommending anytime soon. I wouldn't adamantly try to stop you from seeing it, as it does have some good elements. I would simply warn you that, in my opinion, it's probably not worth your time or money.

Rating: R

Genre: Crime drama/mystery

Run Time: 93 minutes

Release Date: May 15, 2015

My Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Movie Review: Ex Machina

Going completely off of someone else's recommendation, I went to go see the science fiction thriller movie Ex Machina at my local theater a few days ago. I honestly didn't know what to expect, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised by what this movie brought to the table.
The film begins as Caleb Smith, a young programmer, wins a prize which grants him a visit to the facility of prestigious CEO Nathan Bateman. Once arriving, Caleb learns that he is expected to take part in a Turing Test to evaluate Nathan's humanoid robot called Ava. As Caleb becomes increasingly enthralled by Ava, she proves to be more capable and intelligent than either man could have ever imagined.
The positives of this film outweighed the negatives significantly, and overall I really enjoyed Ex Machina. I found it to have a very unique storyline that I haven't seen in any other movies before, and the fact that it's Alex Graland's directorial debut is pretty impressive. Another positive aspect of Ex Machina is the fact that it has an extremely limited cast, but still manages to pull off a very compelling and engaging plot involving only these few actors. In fact, there are only three actors in the entire movie with speaking roles, and all of them did a respectable job portraying their individual characters. Another element that I regarded as a plus for this movie is its very clean-cut plot with no offshooting stories that can all too often weigh a film down. Ex Machina cuts right to the chase, expending all of its time and energy into the main plot. The last element that I liked about this movie is the fact that the questions and topics that it brings up can directly be applied to our modern world in regards to technical innovations. I found it to be a thought-provoking film that is all too real in regards to the future of society.
Regarding the negative elements of Ex Machina, I would say I have two main issues with it. The first is that it is somewhat of a slow movie in that nothing major really goes down throughout its almost two hour run time. I'm not saying that it's a boring movie; on the contrary, the plot was actually very intriguing to me and held my interest. It's just that the scenes were slow, the setting never changed, and aside from the three main actors nobody new was introduced to the film. You'll know what I mean if you go see Ex Machina. I didn't find it dull to watch but it just had an odd lethargic feel to it. The other negative part of this movie is its unrealistic elements. I can't say too much here without revealing spoilers, but my issues lie with the fragility and power source for Nathan's robots.
All in all, Ex Machina was a very interesting, unique, and enjoyable movie to watch for me personally. I would recommend going to see it, whether at your local theater or later when its released on DVD. It's not only an engaging movie but also raises some interesting questions that will make you think about the modern world that we all live in today.

Rating: R

Genre: Science fiction/thriller

Run Time: 108 minutes

Release Date: April 24, 2015

My Rating: ★★★★☆

Under The Radar Musical Artists

The music that I listen to is all over the place, and the artists that I enjoy not only vary by genre but also by popularity as well. Sure, there are many well-known artists that I enjoy listening to, but there are also some unknown singers flying under the radar that I enjoy just as much. So I thought that I would devote a post here on my blog to these little-known musical artists that I feel deserve some more recognition for their talent. If you want to listen to any of the songs of these listed artists, just click the little music note next to their name. Let me know in the comments if you've heard of any of them, and also if you have some favorite under the radar artists of your own!

♫ BANKS:
Jillian Rose Banks, or more commonly known by her stage name BANKS, is a vocalist that I've been familiar with for about a year. Known for her unique style and sound, she blends the genres of R&B, electronic, and pop into a cohesive collection of songs. Her vocals are on the darker, moodier side of the musical spectrum, and so far she has released one album, Goddess. I'm clearly not the only person that enjoys her music, as BANKS is seemingly on the up and up and is definitely worth a listen!



♫ VÉRITÉ:
In my world, if an artist does not have a Wikipedia page than they are really under the radar! This is the case for the electronic pop musician VÉRITÉ, who I only recently started listening to. Although she has yet to release a full album, the songs that VÉRITÉ has released so far are full of potential and are certainly worthy of playing alongside the modern hits of today.





♫ Years & Years:
This British electronic pop band has managed to make nearly every single one of their songs into something extremely catchy. They have a way of making their music sound very unique, but also manage to turn their songs into earworms that get stuck in your head for days (in a good way). I've only been listening to Years & Years for several months or so, but they've definitely risen quite a bit in popularity since then. In other words, Years & Years is sure to be a mainstream band in the near future.



♫ Grimes:
The Canadian artist known simply as Grimes has managed to carve her eccentric sound into today's music scene. Her uniquely-sounding tracks can be quite different from each other, and Grimes is truly a musician that jumps between genres. Because of this, she has released some songs that I don't personally enjoy as much, but others that I love. It's this variety and musical creativity that makes Grimes one to watch, and even if her music is just a bit too "out there" for some, there is no denying the fact that Grimes is a very unique artist.


♫ Kawehi:
Another Wikipedia page lacking artist is Kawehi, who has a large YouTube audience and creates lots of unique covers to songs of well-known singers. In addition to making some extremely creative covers, she also has released several albums with her own songs through Bandcamp. Go listen to some of Kawehi's songs and covers on her YouTube channel, and see what you think!





♫ PVRIS:
PVRIS is a rock band that I only discovered recently, but I have already become hooked on their music. With one album already under their belt, they are proving to be a force to be reckoned with in the alternative rock world. I'm looking forward to exploring their music further, and I only see PVRIS getting more and more popular with time.



♫ Jetta:
This musician hailing from England is clearly talented and has some killer vocals, but she is still relatively unknown to many. Jetta's musical style blends indie, rock, and pop and her three extended plays feature songs that showcase these differing genres. Perhaps many of you have heard Jetta already without knowing it, as her cover of I'd Love to Change the World has been featured as the song for several movie trailers. Due to her unique sound and embrace of many different genres, Jetta is an artist that is sure to generate a large fanbase.

♫ Panama Wedding:
The last band that I want to shed some light on is the electronic group Panama Wedding. I first heard one of their songs playing in Starbucks, and I've been a fan of theirs since. They make great "feel-good" music, as all of their songs are quite upbeat and have a very distinct sound. Panama Wedding has released one extended play called Parallel Play, and they've also performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live. They've started out with a bang and I can see Panama Wedding becoming a favorite musical artist among many in the near future.