John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

Bigger, louder, flashier, and more brutal than the predecessor, Chapter 2 delves deeper into the league of assassins. It's a well-made movie with nice practical effects and choreography, but at the same time, the great number of head-shots might make you numb halfway through the movie.

If you have seen the first John Wick movie in 2014, you'd have a pretty good expectation of the action, style, and the deep and detailed universe that the movie is set in. Events Chapter 2 start just a few days after the end of the first film and show how the titular character is trying to wrap up loose ends. But as it seems that the movie is about to slow down, a blast from the past hits John and pulls him back in.

The best part about the movie is the rich universe that it has created; from the Continental hotel to the tailors and sommeliers! Ian McShane particularly shines as the manager of the New York branch. Of course Keanu Reeves is great as well. His dedication to the stunts is somewhat comparable to Tom Cruise's. Other than these two, other supporting characters were not memorable, or even at points they were really annoying (I'm talking about Ruby Rose's character).

The story is interesting and compelling. It builds on what we saw in the first movie. Here John is not as sympathetic has he was there, but still he is the classic hero that you root for. As I mentioned, everything is super-sized in this instalment. However, too much of a good thing may not necessarily be good. As I mentioned earlier, the body count is so large that the fight scenes lose their allure.

Overall, it's a very entertaining and well-made movie. Fans of the first film should definitely watch it. I'd give it an 8.5/10. I am also curious to see where they will take the character for Chapter 3.

Oscar Results (2017)

Out of the 12 categories that I predicted, I got 10 of them right. I missed the best original screenplay - which no one thought would go to Manchester by the see - and best director. Saving grace is that Damien Chazelle, who had my vote, ended up winning. So overall, I'd like to say my score was 10.5/12 - which was better than last year!

Category	Nominees	Prediction	My Vote	Oscars
Best Picture	Arrival
	Fences
	Hacksaw Ridge
	Hell or High Water
	Hidden Figures
	La La Land		✔
	Lion
	Manchester by the Sea
	Moonlight	✔		✔
Directing	Arrival
	Hacksaw Ridge
	La La Land		✔	✔
	Manchester by the Sea
	Moonlight	✔
Best Actor	Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea	✔		✔
	Andrew Garfield – Hacksaw Ridge
	Ryan Gosling – La La Land		✔
	Viggo Mortensen – Captain Fantastic
	Denzel Washington – Fences
Best Actress	Isabelle Huppert – Elle
	Ruth Negga – Loving
	Natalie Portman – Jackie
	Emma Stone – La La Land	✔	✔	✔
	Meryl Streep – Florence Foster Jenkins
Best Supporting Actor	Mahershala Ali – Moonlight	✔		✔
	Jeff Bridges – Hell or High Water
	Lucas Hedge – Manchester by the Sea
	Dev Patel – Lion
	Michael Shannon – Nocturnal Animals		✔
Best Supporting Actress	Viola Davis – Fences	✔	✔	✔
	Naomie Harris – Moonlight
	Nicole Kidman – Lion
	Octavia Spencer – Hidden Figures
	Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea
Best Original Screenplay	Hell or High Water
	La La Land	✔	✔
	The Lobster
	Manchester by the Sea			✔
	20th Century Women
Best Adapted Screenplay	Arrival
	Fences
	Hidden Figures		✔
	Lion
	Moonlight	✔		✔
Best Animated Feature Film	Kubo and the Two Strings
	Moana
	My Life as a Zucchini
	The Red Turtle
	Zootopia	✔	✔	✔
Best Original Score	Jackie
	La La Land	✔	✔	✔
	Lion
	Moonlight
	Passengers
Best Original Song	La La Land (Audition)
	Trolls
	La La Land (City of Stars)	✔	✔	✔
	Jim: The James Foley Story
	Moana
Best Cinematography	Arrival
	La La Land	✔	✔	✔
	Lion
	Moonlight
	Silence