Continuing with the Tomorrowverse, this introduces Kara and her origins along with the main plot of her exploring the 31st century. I thought it started off pretty well and seeing her origins was not bad, but it quickly gets into tv quality writing. It almost felt like you're watching a special two-parter about Supergirl for their hypothetical Tomorrowverse tv series. Meg Donnelly does a decent job voicing Kara and Harry Shum Jr. was not bad as Brainiac 5. Still, the plot was pretty mediocre and it kept you wishing the movie was about her journey in the current timeline. Overall, while not extremely terrible it's not much of a movie. 2/5
Part Jonny Quest, part H.P. Lovecraft, and part batsh** Batman, this was a really nice surprise. I bearly remember the original Elseworlds story that this is based on and it's a shame because this was clearly such a cool idea. It's basically a Lovecraftian Batman story set in the 1920s that uses a lot of ancient myths and reinvents the ideas into Batman's world while using a lot of the common Batman side characters in interesting ways. I thought the animation was a slight step above the other DC entries and I thought the voice cast was excellent which is so rare to come by with DC animation nowadays. David Giuntoli as Batman might be my current favorite to voice the character, he does such a great job on a lot of the delivery. I love the steady pace of the story along with the writing that felt inspired and ambitious for a DC animated movie which is rare. And the ending is so bonkers it almost reminded me of Batman Ninja. Overall, I really dug the hell out of it. 3.5/5
Not bad but it eventually becomes the movie I thought it was going to be. It's another big departure for Guy Ritchie where with this he does a war rescue movie set in Afghanistan. I thought the first half was much stronger than the 3rd act that falls into basic Call of Duty territory. A lot of what worked with that first half is Dar Salim who plays Ahmed the interpreter. There is a version of this movie that would have been so much more interesting if it was through his POV and not Jake Gyllenhaal's. And you see the pacing kinda fall apart in the 2nd half when he returns home to his boring family before the Call of Duty mission. I will say I think Jake Gyllenhaal is really entering his Nic Cage era with his performances recently. Overall, I thought it was sorta better than a lot of the other jingoist American war movies like this, but in the end, it still falls into the common action war film that you think this is 3/5
When Mike Lazaridis went off on the iPhone and their lack of buttons and clicky-ness, I felt seen.
Between Tetris and Air, I feel like this year has been a banner year with biopics centered around products and games and BlackBerry is no different. This was an incredible comedic thriller that takes you on a journey through Blackberry's rise and fall and how they helped usher in the modern-day cell phone. The director Matt Johnson pretty much made this as if the Steve Jobs movie from Danny Boyle was shot and told like The Office and Parks and Rec minus the 4th wall break. It's got an intense documentary feel throughout, but it has sitcom humor that binds it together. I thought Jay Baruchel and Matt Johnson were great in this but the movie doesn't really work as well as it did without Glenn Howerton's incredible performance as Jim Balsillie who chews every bit of scenery imaginable. It's like the Chris Messina performance in Air but if he was given 2nd billing instead. Overall, while it definitely has some common tropes of the rise and fall biopics, it's an incredible ride that doesn't feel like you spent 2 hours at all. 4.5/5
The definition of Hypnotism according to Cambridge: The act of putting someone into a mental state like sleep in which their thoughts can be easily influenced by someone else... like how Hypnotic attempts to make you think it's a good movie.
This is Robert Rodriguez's sci-fi action noir that rips off a lot of Nolan films like Inception, Tenet, and Memento along with other sci-fi films like Scanners, The Matrix, and Firestarter. It's incredibly dull and trite, and more importantly, it delivers some of the worst exposition I've heard in a while. The story is centered on Ben Affleck's performance and it feels like he didn't care if he showed up to set. Alice Braga somehow tries but the script doesn't do her any favors and neither does William Fichtner who feels like he's playing The Accountant from Drive Angry again. While I did like a few shots in this, it's got a tv quality production which is insane if this really costs $65 million. Overall, it's a convoluted mess of a movie with a predictable script full of lazy twists that try to be every great sci-fi movie, but it ends up being a copy of a copy. 1/5
Definitely not the movie you think it is. It felt like the filmmakers wanted to make a Bob Ross movie but couldn't get the rights... So they kept the look and aesthetic and even some of the history, but change the name and made it a quirky indie romcom about a famous tv painter that isn't as clever or funny as they think it is. A lot of the time it does feel like one big long Funny or Die skit that doesn't really have a punchline. It's also intentionally anachronistic that takes you out of the movie a bit, not to mention they don't even try on the flashbacks. They also do the annoying movie thing where they don't perform the occupation that the title suggests but usually show the aftermath of said occupation like actually painting... they usually would show the results. All that being said, what the movie does instead is focus on the main character and his quirky love life. There are parts when Owne Wilson does bring his charm to it and it mostly works. I also really liked Ciara Renée in here and her chemistry with Michaela Watkins was not bad. Also, I really dug the cinematography and some of the editing. Outside of that, there's not much going for it. Overall, it's a shame that this could have been a much better movie if they actually made a Bob Ross movie. 2/5
If this taught me anything, it's that the last thing you want to do is gaslight an AI robot.
This was a phenomenal indie sci-fi film that solely relies on its incredibly gripping script and tremendous performances. Don't wanna give the plot away because it's best going in knowing nothing, but it's essentially a three-act structure bottle film that keeps the tension and reveals all through conversions. While it might sound boring for some to see people talking in the same three rooms, it truly takes you on a mystery ride that does a great job of unveiling new information that changes the perspective of the plot and characters. Franklin Ritch, who's also behind making this, Lance Henriksen, Tatum Matthews, David Girard, and Sinda Nichols were all incredible when they get their time to shine. You can see the inspirations that Franklin Ritch uses from Speilberg, James Cameron, and Kubrick for what he's trying to accomplish in the sci-fi realm just like what Andrew Patterson did for The Vast of Night (another truly underrated low-budget sci-fi with big ideas). Overall, while the budget may look really cheap on the outside, it's no doubt one of the best scripts for a sci-fi film in years along with The Vast of Night. It's one of the best examples to show anyone how you can make a gripping movie with no budget and yet it's more satisfying to watch than a random overproduced mainstream blockbuster. 4/5
Between this and her role in Breaking Bad, you can't go wrong with Jolene Purdy playing a gas station cashier.
This was a fun little techno thriller that puts emphasis on campy side performances with a sincere character drama between the two main Asian leads through video calls. The film is essentially about a woman played by Midori Francis who is being chased by her murderous ex through the woods and because of her bad eyesight, she's miss dials a stranger who gets her some help. It's very similar to Cellular only it's got more levity and gen z style editing and writing. While a lot of the movie is purposely campy, I thought what really worked are the conversations between Midori Francis and Jolene Purdy that goes into all sorts of issues. Overall, it's pretty good. 3/5
"You couldn't live with your own failure, where did that bring you? Back to me" - Vin Diesel to those two big cameos that showed up at the end of this
This was an entertaining and yet incoherent mess of a movie that tries desperately to be their Avengers Infinity War even down to the downer ending and "uplifting" post credits tease. Probably the most egregious part of this movie for me was the choppy editing and the overuse of bad greenscreen which never was the case when it was under Justin Lin. The only sections that did feel like Justin Lin was behind it were probably the Rome sequence and maybe the Rio race. It's a movie that feels like it's being stretched out thin and while there is a lot going on, there are almost no real character moments outside of Daniela Melchior's character who's actually great here even though she's barely in it. The crew feels like they're on autopilot especially Vin for the most part. I will say I thought Brie Larson and Alan Ritchson were not bad and I really liked John Cena here who's not scowling the entire time. Jason Momoa clearly stole the show and he is having the time of his life playing the villain who's basically the Green Goblin, The Joker, and Lobo all rolled into one. Every acting decision Momoa makes here is so ridiculous and hammy that it somehow keeps it from being boring and unrelenting. Overall, while I kinda liked F9 more because of Justin Lin, Fast X is truly a mixed bag. 2.5/5
They really tried their best to make me like this movie by using Angel by Massive Attack for a sniper montage.
It's a subpar action thriller that feels like a copy and paste job of all the other subpar Netflix movies that are trying to be Lone Wolf and Cub with sequel potential built in. While I did enjoy looking at it on a technical level as well as some of the action set pieces, the script is really bland as it tries to attempt some sort of world building. I thought Jennifer Lopez wasn't bad here but the generic dialogue doesn't do her any favors. The rest of the cast is not really memorable. It's a movie that tries to be so serious and dower that it kinda hurts the film because of how not well the script is. Overall, it's forgettable. 2/5
There's no easy way of saying it, this is basically the bargain bin equivalent to sci-fi films like Inception and Possessor. For Bruce Willis's last film, it's more or less the same kind of direct to video stuff he's been doing even though the concept is far more interesting. He's also pretty much a supporting character (bearly) where Nomzamo Mbatha plays the lead and Dominic Purcell plays the big bad. Also, oddly enough Mustafa Shakir is in this and they don't really let him cook or have a lot of screen time which is a shame. It's one of those movies where the sci-fi concept sounds interesting but the execution mostly fails. I will say I thought the opening was the strongest part of the film where they show you how they operate and body jump but eventually the story doesn't really move anywhere after that. It goes into some bad writing and generic story beats that you've seen before. Overall, it's just unremarkable which sucks if this happens to be Bruce Willis's last film. 1.5/5
The How It Should Have Ended version of this movie would have Joel Edgerton's character say "What do you mean my haircut gave it away?"
I thought it was decent but not anywhere near as good as Paul Schrader's previous two films. Where First Reformed and The Card Counter excel in their "lonely man Taxi Driver-esque" narrative, Master Gardener kinda fumbles the bag a bit with the execution. It's a movie that is simply about a man seeking redemption for being a former neo-nazi by finding peace by becoming a gardener for a rich estate. I thought at times the movie works when it is concentrating on the gardening aspect and the shades of his past through his journal entries, but the rest of the movie kinda falls flat to me. The only bright spot in this movie aside from Joel Edgerton is Quintessa Swindell's performance and whenever both are on screen it does make the movie far more interesting. Aside from that, everything else felt weak and kinda silly at times, especially Sigourney Weaver's character. It's almost as if Paul Schrader wanted to copy bits from the show Barry but it never really worked out. Overall, it was enjoyable despite some problems it has. 3/5
Do I remember what happens at the end of the original Little Mermaid? nope. Did I expect this movie to end with a freakin Kaiju battle? Also nope.
While the trailers have been super uninteresting to me, I thought the movie itself was actually decent for a Disney live-action remake. While the movie kinda follows the same format as the animated movie it does add in a few scenes that add some context to the rest of the story. The Rob Marshall aesthetic of it all with the CG and the live-action bits felt off at first, but it actually worked as it went along which was shocking. I watched this in IMAX and it really does add that immersive feel to it especially when they're doing their musical numbers. That being said, it still doesn't beat the original animation when it comes to emoting and the other things you can get away with in animation. Halle Bailey was actually really good as Ariel and you buy her motivations plus her singing made the movie. Melissa McCarthy was also great while hamming it up as Ursula. Everything else felt either just okay or borderline annoying. Overall, surprisingly decent which is rare for these live action remakes. 3/5
The Producer: "How many white savior tropes do you want in this film?"
The Director: "Yes."
This was such a misfire of a movie about Nat Clifton who was the 2nd black basketball player to make it to the NBA. It's crazy how much of the movie is not focused on Nat Clifton's life but on the white men who ran the league back in the 40s and 50s. They don't give Everett Osborne that much to do which makes it even worse for a biopic that the film is more concentrated on the white guilt that allowed Nat Clifton to play ball. You can smell the washed actors they got here between Kevin Pollak, Richard Dreyfuss, Jeremy Piven, and Eric Roberts. The overall acting and dialogue they have here felt like an old SNL skit that was mocking sports biopics and the overbearing sentimental music doesn't help at all. The only positives I can dig up for this are probably how it's shot at times and also the singer Emmaline looks like she belongs in a movie from the 40s as a star. Overall, easily one of the worst movies of the year, and it makes The Blind Side or Driving Miss Daisy look like a Spike Lee joint. 1/5
Well, that was something, I guess. It's a screwball action comedy crossed with a Godfather parody that constantly references The Godfather. The movie is mostly a one-note joke machine that doesn't feel like writing anything clever. It's Toni Collette doing the same kind of character she usually does whenever she's in a comedy like Knives Out. The rest of the cast is mostly forgettable outside of Monica Bellucci, obviously. What really surprised me the most is that it's shockingly gory for an action romcom. Overall, didn't completely hate it or completely enjoyed it, it was just kinda forgettable. 2/5
The moment Danny Huston's name popped up in this, I knew this movie was cursed (no pun intended).
Such a bizarre religious-themed horror film that doesn't fully know what it was trying to be. There's a section of the movie that is deadly serious about what is essentially a Wicker Man scenario plot that kinda goes all over the place even when you figure out the twist. A lot of the time this movie is downright unintentionally hilarious which kept me from really hating on it. That being said, I thought Jena Malone was good and she does fully deliver on her performance even if the material isn't as strong as it thinks it is. The directing/cinematography was actually impressive despite the silliness of it all, there's even a nod to Contact with how the camera was moving which Jena Malone appears in both. Overall, similar to The Pope's Exorcist, even though the movie didn't fully work for me, the crazy out-of-left-field moments kept me interested til the end. 2.5/5
[♫ Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City plays menacingly ♫]
An incredible ride that takes on the near-impossible task of being the follow-up sequel to Into The Spider-Verse and it actually pulls it off for the most part. It's without a doubt one of the most ambitious animated films so far and it pretty much doubles in effort with all the different art styles and animation that they go through here. While the movie may seem super chaotic at first glance, the story still remains pretty coherent throughout with Miles going through his relationship with his parents and Spider-Gwen. They also give us plenty of Spider-Gwen in her own art style and storyline and how it connects to the rest of the movie was well done. The comedy is as sharp and witty as the previous film even though some of the jokes zip by too fast. There are a lot of supporting Spider-people that come in and they all get their moment to shine mainly Spider-Man 2099 who gets a very interesting role. Jason Schwartzman as the Spot is probably my favorite part of the movie only because they actually fleshed his character out and make him a real threatening Spider-Man villain. I also love all the easter eggs and cameos that they brought in here. If I have any nitpicks it would probably be the length gets a tad bit long and how this movie's soundtrack fails to live up to the previous soundtrack even though I did like a couple of the needle drops. The movie ends on a cliffhanger and a lot of what this movie depends on is how this story ends and while I love this movie, I am super interested to see if they can land the plane with the 3rd one. Overall, without a doubt, it's the best animated movie of the year and I don't see anything else beating it. 4.5/5
How it feels when you only use the 0.5x zoom on your phone.
This was a really well-made romcom that feels original because it uses real lived-in experiences of black Londoners. It's by a first-time director Raine Allen-Miller and she was able to paint a really nice meet cute storyline that does a great job of making you care for the main two leads played brilliantly by David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah. It's visually unique and it operates on a very distinct style that kinda plays like a comic at times or a show on FX. The movie also does a great job delivering some romantic ambiance to places in London that usually get ignored or brushed off because of their minority population. It's very similar to other romcoms like Before Sunrise and In the Mood for Love where they do more than your average milquetoast romcom that plays the same beats to death and it highlights the importance of mundanity of what is like being on a first-time date. Overall, it's a rare romcom that is actually good and I'm curious to see what Raine Allen-Miller does next. 4/5
The real horror is the bill when that crazy woman bought all those candles from Bath and Body Works without a coupon.
It's just alright. It's one of those horror movies where the drama aspect of the story which is about moving on from grief is more interesting than the scares and horror. It's the first Rob Savage studio horror film and it kinda feels like he was just hired to do a job. While it's got a couple of moments that reference his other films, it's more or less the same horror movie about grief that we've seen so many times before. I will say I thought Sophie Thatcher and David Dastmalchian were really good here. The Boogeyman itself is somewhat interesting and I do like its design but it doesn't do much to stand out among the other similar haunted house creatures. Overall, it's just another middle-of-the-road horror film with some good moments in between. 2.5/5
That girl was set up the moment her parents named her Reality Winner.
This was a phenomenal real-time bottle drama/thriller that was based on the FBI interrogation and search warrant for the whistleblower on the Russian election interference. Unlike a lot of "based on a true story" movies that fabricate the facts, they were able to use and show the actual audio transcript of the real event as a structure for the movie as it was unfolding and not really change much to it. It's a movie that works if you know what it's about going in or not knowing anything at all, you are instantly grabbed by the movie the moment the FBI agents show up. It's almost similar to something like We Own This City and even other bottle thrillers like Compliance. The cast is really good and Sydney Sweeney really sold it and it's quite possibly the best thing she's been in so far including Nocturne which was highly underrated. They also do a thing here with the redacted statements that were incredibly well done and clever from a visual standpoint. I also really dug the incredibly well-lit cinematography and the sound design that actually adds to the tension. Overall, it's a simple yet incredibly effective thriller that does a good job of putting menace behind banality. 4/5
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that Autobot knows Spanish, and shout out to that kid's Power Rangers shirt.
I thought this was a lot of fun for a Transformers movie that does all the things you want a Saturday morning cartoon from the 80s and 90s to have but in live-action. It also goes back to the basis in a lot of ways with the 07 film where you meet new human characters interacting with transformers for the first time and with a little bit of a more human story (in the beginning) like in Bumblebee. I thought the first hour in particular was the strongest in terms of character development mainly with Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback. Once it gets to the MacGuffin chase throughout Peru it does get a bit lost in the sauce when it comes to the story, but there are a lot of fun moments that happen that kept me interested. It's not the most well-made script but it does the job. There's a fun needle-drop soundtrack full of early 90s east coast hiphop that worked. Also keeping in tradition with the other Transformers movies, there are a lot of cool real-world environments that they showcase and it doesn't really become a grey CGI fest until the final battle.
While, Optimus Prime, Optimus Primal, and Bumblebee all get their moment to shine, they really made Mirage the Bumblebee of the movie and I thought Pete Davidson did a good job bringing a lot of personality to it. One big problem is they don't give a lot of screentime with the Maximals. As for the 3rd act craziness, I thought it was fun and how they ended the movie with a giant world building opportunity was so silly but it works. Overall, it's a big blockbuster that knows what it is and knows it only aims for that Saturday morning cartoon feel even though Bumblebee was a much better version of what a Transformers movie can be. 3/5
That venue probably hosted at least a million family dinner fights since it opened.
It's a movie that asks you what if Everybody Loves Raymond was a 2-hour family dramedy that is simultaneously a coming-of-age tale and a midlife crisis drama. Ray Romano writes and directs and stars in what is honestly a love letter to Queens and the Italian working class. As expected there is a lot of Italian and Queens/NY-specific humor that they kinda front load the movie with and I thought it worked mostly because I'm from Queens. While the movie does use the same playbook as a lot of these indie dramedies, they do lean more heavily on the drama in the 2nd half of the story that does feel authentic to the characters even if the rest of the movie is cliched. I really dug the performances with Ray Romano and Laurie Metcalf and even Sadie Stanley who kinda plays the stereotypical unattainable dream girl. I thought Jacob Ward who plays the son was just alright, he could have been better. A lot of the movie does feel like what Ray Romano wanted to explore in a sitcom format but digs into it a little deeper with its characters. Overall, I really enjoyed it, especially as a throwback easy watch. 3.5/5
Finding out you're moving to New Jersey when you're 11? The true horror.
This was an incredible well made coming of age dramedy that is based on a well known book that centers around puberty and religion. It does a much better job than a lot of other contemporary coming of age movies that tries to tackle similar issues over the last 20 years by keeping the stakes normal enough that feels very much real and authentic to the characters. It very much feels like the movie Eighth Grade or The Edge of Seventeen but set in the 70s with 70s suburban culture. I admire how the movie doesn't try to inject some insane storyline that feels out of place, it stays true to what the movie is trying to accomplish. Abby Ryder Fortson and Rachel McAdams both delivered fantastic performances and they both elevated the material of common coming of age tropes. Overall, it's a great coming of age film that stands out among the rest by being more than just surface level. 4/5
The Gang Acts Like If Charlie Chaplin and Mr. Bean Had a Baby and It Went to Hollywood
It's a movie that I admire what it was trying to go for, but it's essentially Charlie Day trying to do a satire/critique on Hollywood over issues that have been done to death in other movies for decades through a blank space character. Whatever point the movie is trying to make feels archaic as if the film came out in the 80s and 90s. It's like that Aerials music video from System of a Down. That being said, I thought it was still entertaining to watch. It's loaded with recognizable actors and comedians who only get one or two scenes. What I dug the most is the directing by Charlie Day and the cinematography that feels very auteur driven. Overall, it's not nearly as bad as the critics are saying but it could have been better script wise. 3/5
Was this "based on a true story" movie 100% fabricated? Probably. Are most "based on a true story" movies partially fabricated anyways? Absolutely.
Didn't expect to get a movie about the flamin hot cheetos but here we are. It's one of these movies that mostly gets by on its fun script, charming performances, and creative license to the "biopic" structure whether or not you believe any of it. I thought Eva Longoria did a fine job for her directional debut. While the movie does feature a lot of the common Mexican American/immigrant story tropes and some blatant Mexican stereotypes, the performances by Jesse Garcia and Annie Gonzalez were charming enough to make you go with it and buy into it. Very much like Air, this movie does give corporations a pat on the back in a literal "puff piece" kind of way. Overall, I enjoyed it but on a surface level way. 3/5
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