PRAISE: I do my best to try and avoid footage,or how a real life story i never heard about played out before i watch a movie or T.V show based on it. Im so glad I stuck to the aforementioned with this film for multiple reasons. The story was a simple one based on the true 1977 story of Tony Kiritsis, an Indiana man who took a mortgage company executive hostage using a shotgun wired to his neck. But it has a steady path to the crazy but true box. Watching it play out with a pile on of characters including cops and reporters was both an amusing ,tense and suspenseful experience. Director Gus Van Sant wonderfully places the camera on faces that are no nonsense to nervous. There are great performances from,Bill Skarsgard as Tony Kiritsis,Dacre Montgomery as Richard 'Dick' Hall,Cary Elwes as Michael Grable Al Pacino as M.L. Hall,Colman Domingo as Fred Temple and Myha’la as Linda Page. There are moments of high drama and satire that really worked for the most part. But in the back of my mind I started asking did this really play out this way? When the answers played out on the screen i couldn't help but smile. Im even more fascinated by this story than when I sat down to watch it. Those during closing credits scenes were amazing to watch. The sound track was also great i found myself tapping my foot often.
PROBLEMS: The movie meanders here and there and the tonal shifts don't always connect.
PRAISE: If you take a few alien virus movies and add a huge sense of humor to them you have Cold Storage oh and throw in a couple of zombie flicks.The story is about two employees at a self-storage company having the wildest shift of their lives when a parasitic fungus that was sealed by the government escapes. The cast including Georgina Campbell, Joe Keery, Sosie Bacon, Vanessa Redgrave, Lesley Manville, and Liam Neeson all look like they were having a good time. There are plenty of great one liners as the screenplay has fun with all of the basic paths that will lead to the mayhem that plays out. Body horror,fluids and fungus are plentiful and then some,plus throw in some good kills that are not for the faint of heart.
PROBLEMS: There were moments when characters are ultra oblivious to logic and reason so much so it became a bit annoying.
PRAISE: This movie has the vibe and atmosphere of the 1981 movie Thief but it definitely becomes its own thing. I enjoyed the interactions between the characters that include Chris Hemsworth as Mike Davis,Halle Berry as Sharon,Mark Ruffalo as Detective Lou Lubesnick, Barry Keoghan as Ormon, Monica Barbaro as Maya and, Corey Hawkins as Tillman also their conversations even when brief are memorable which are connected to some very good performances. Director and writer Bart Layton displays the flipside of heists and robberies from the well planned and smooth to the chaotic and violent. His story of a jewel thief targeting high stakes heists along the 101 freeway includes that you've done everything right in life but what you are receiving is disrespect and no recognition can push a person to start drawing outside of the lines. There's a moment in movies like this in which I start rooting for the "bad guy" but I also want to see the one that's pursuing the bad guy to have a moment of redemption and I think the movie does this in an involving way. There was a wrench in the works factor that stirred up just the right amount of worry in me. There are a couple of nice to see you cameos.I know some critics had a problem with how the last 12 minutes of the movie play out but I didn't because I remembered the signs.
PROBLEMS: One of the subplots could have been a bit stronger. There was an extremely unintentionally funny moment. A couple of predictable turns.
PRAISE: Even after 30 years and 7 movies i still hoped that new life could be breathed into this franchise and hey they brought back Neve Campbell as Sidney Evans after she was MIA from the 6th movie. This time around a Ghostface killer targets Sidney Prescott's daughter.
There's some fun to be had while watching this movie. The most fun was watching an obnoxious character be taken out in a brutal way. There are some good laughs especially from Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers who delivers some salty lines of dialogue. There are a good amount of kills and interesting falls. I liked the blink and you will miss them nods to previous films. It was interesting to see how much AI was played up in the movie especially after this months reveal of how AI is getting even better that sent a controversial shockwave through Hollywood. Its crazy that Ethan Embry could portray the late great Harvey Pekar in another biopic if someone wanted to do so.
PROBLEMS: There's a lot that doesn't add up or make a lot of sense. With so much information out there about Sidney its questionable about why she behaves in a certain way? A deep dive wasn't done even if Sidney is guarded about her blood soaked past? Its all public information !! I don't understand why horror movies of late think that offscreen kills are a great thing....this is a slasher horror movie !! Some characters are given nothing to do and it shows when they dissappear for 30 to 40 minutes. There's nothing supernatural in the Scream universe so how people survive certain stabbings and bullet wounds is beyond me. Some stand out predictable moments pop up. The explanation at the end was weak and unsatisfying. I could go on but I don't want to.
PRAISE: Its been awhile since I've watched a musician.Jim Jarmusch movie and this movie is a very good path to start watching them again. I think he perfectly captures the strain and awkwardness of not talking to a close relative for awhile. With all of the uncomfortable moments and just going down the checklist of oh what have you been up to? How are the kids? Are you seeing anyone? Its also amusing when he displays how guarded people are even to the ones we love. The cast including Tom Waits as Father; Adam Driver as Jeff ; "Mother" · Cate Blanchett as Timothea; Vicky Krieps as Lilith ; "Sister Brother" · Indya Moore as Skye.There's a connection of minds and blood ties but how much do we really know about our families and i liked Jarmusch plays with all of the aforementioned. Then theres the disconnect in which you can't be honest because you think a relative may be to judgemental about what's happening and what's not happening in your life. Jarmusch also includes when its far to late and when unforseen occurrences get in the way of getting to know a close relative and its very effective.
PROBLEMS: At times i felt the movie gets lost in being to quiet coupled with some sleepy and then some moments.
PRAISE: When a writer and Director taps into nostalgia and something familiar i dont have a problem with it as ling as its done. I think this movie gets all of the aforementioned right for the most part.
The story is about Alan Ritchson as "81," a soldier in a brutal, elite Army Ranger training program. During a final, 81 and his unit encounter a deadly, forcing them to fight for survival. Ritchson does a pretty good job as 81,he's able to bring enough realism to 81's PTSD along with raw emotion to bring believable moments to the movie. There's some very good 90's style action think Predator and I could tell Director/writer Patrick Hughes and co Writer are fans of the Predator franchise. The action is extremely intense at times coupled with gory moments that caught me off guard. The movie definitely gave me flashbacks of the 1989 movie Robotjox. I think the linked together perilous moments in the movie were on point. I thought the movie did a good job with 81's fellow soldiers who were in should I follow and should I trust mode for awhile.
PROBLEMS: If the military was really watching 81 closely there are several things that would have never happened. I was looking for a revelation that the movie opens the door to but never enters. The same can be said of several explanations that never happen.
Scale of 1 to 10 a 7½
The Strangers: Chapter 3
Even though i still wonder why this story had to be split into 3 movies I found things in this last chapter highly entertaining. Some of the flashbacks were a lot of fun. Once again a few moments made me laugh because they brought back memories of the shark at the door skits from Saturday Night Live. Some good kills here and there. I was entertained by some of the creepy characters. Richard Blake's mannerisms alone steal the movie. There are some odd editing and cut away scenes that made me wonder if they couldn't decide if they wanted a full on R rating or a lighter PG-13 rating. The moments of long,drawn out dialogue,with snails pace responses between the characters put me in high anticipation of the closing credits to pop up on the screen.
PRAISE: Director and writer Maggie Gyllenhaal's take on The Bride of Frankenstein and Frankenstein's Creation/monster goes down some interesting paths with dark humor and salty dialogue woven in. I thought the actors in the film who go all in did a very good job including Jessie Buckley as The Bride / Ida / Mary Shelley, resembling a Rick Geary drawing especially around the eyes ,Christian Bale as Frank who looks a bit like Hanna-Barberas Frankenstein Jr, Jake Gyllenhaal as Ronnie Reed,Annette Bening as Dr. Euphronious,Penelope Cruz as Myrna and Peter Sarsgaard as Jake Wiles. The movie is very stylish and then some and I enjoyed the on the nose nods to other Frankenstein movies. The Brides I'm a feminist and I'm not going to take it anymore stance was believable when more was revealed about her background. I enjoyed the banter between the various characters. Gyllenhaal adds some nice touches to the Frankenstein monster/creation that i never really thought of over years of watching movies about the character.
PROBLEMS: Some parts of the movie felt incoherent. How did the world view the two main characters? At times accepted or just plain old feared? Because the movie plays with both but its unclear if some of their interactions are just dreams or real.The movie attempts to be so many things Bonnie and Clyde, Joker and Sweeney Todd but it wasn't enough to really involve me all the way to the end.
PRAISE: Part parody,dark comedy (some of the comedy may be to dark for some) but full of sobering facts of what the world, people have become and may become in this story about a time-traveling, disheveled "Man from the Future" (Sam Rockwell) who arrives at a Los Angeles diner to recruit a rag-tag group of patrons to prevent a rogue AI from destroying humanity really worked for me for the most part. The cast including: Haley Lu Richardson as Ingrid,Michael Pena as Mark,Zazie Beetz as Janet,Juno Temple as Susan and Dino Fetscher as Blaisedoes does a very good job especially Rockwell who always can take command of a multi character scene and make it feel like its a solo performance. The sobering messages are effective and then some. How we've become dissensitized and how some harrowing situations don't even alarm us anymore. The reliance on AI slowly but surely becoming a thing for almost everyone but even if we achieve and improve upon something that helps us particularly with grief it will still have obvious flaws and will be lacking all of the special little flaws that make us human and what we remembered about who or what it used to be. High praise to Director Gore Verbinski and Writer Matthew Robinson for coming up with such a twisty plot with blends of Jumanji,12 Monkeys and the Matrix. The SFX and CGI stand out in several scenes that are sometimes weird but very effective.
PROBLEMS: The reluctance of some of the characters getting on board with Future Man didn't make much sense especially after their experiences. The film does feel drawn out at times and there were moments i wanted the pacing to be kicked up a few notches.
PRAISE: There were two questions i had while watching this movie? What was the endgame? If i knew what was happening in the household and was painted into the same corner as a character what would I do ? The story is about a delinquent and then some young man named Tommy who finds himself in one of the most unique rehab and reprogramming situation ever. The movie has great performances, from outright anger,sadness, joy and love. All greatly displayed by Stephen Graham as Chris,Andrea Riseborough as Kathryn(who i had not seen since watching the movie Mandy years ago)Anson Boon as Tommy,Kit Rakusen as Jonathan, Monika Frajczyk as Rina and Savannah Steyn as Gabby. There are shades of A Clockwork Orange and I've definitely watched TV shows and movies with similar threads but this movie comes with its own assortment of twists, turns and suspense. So many morality threads are presented which were all equally interesting and involving. Will i only do the right thing if im pushed ? The movie left me with more questions as it sharply with one line of dialogue made me think well what's a real family? One that cares to go the distance no matter how painful it will be to get a "family member' to see the light? To see the error in their ways? But that's one of many of the great things about this movie it made me question myself and what I would give in to help another person. You either accept the help no matter how harsh or continue towards a downward spiral.
PROBLEMS: There's definitely some predictable turns tied to a character because I could clearly see the manipulation even though the movie was trying hard to hide it.
A lot of the top filmmakers don't have black females in their films. Black women are overall just underrepresented especially as far as lead roles go. It's only a handful that are considered viable to them and the biggest one in terms of box office revenue is a card carrying member of the "mi no blak" brigade.
PRAISE: How do you change the usual the world is going to end if we dont get to points A & B story? By condensing but simultaneously making the story elaborate in various ways. This is not an easy feat but this movie pulls it off with charming characters, how it chooses to structure its story and its coupled with humor and strong visuals. As Ryland Grace ,Ryan Gosling displays enough physical humor, raw emotion and wit as a brilliant teacher who's mission is to save the world from an apocalyptic path. There are decisions the character could have made possibly feeling he had every right to do so and I liked how the movie plays out in a way that reveals what the character truly is inside. Within the story there are great moments that display how even the most brief and fast friendships can mean the most surpassing this alliance is just for us to complete a goal factor. There are great nods to movies and great jokes about astronaut training and space exploration. There are definitely a couple of dark turns i didn't see coming. There are some changes from the book that I didn't mind.
PROBLEMS: There are a couple of plot holes i couldn't ignore. The pacing definitely could have been better in several moments of the movie.
I hear a few people rave about a movie and i get excited to see what all of the fuss is about. Unfortunately at times I keep waiting for the moment when the movie is going to fully involve me and I say oh this is why people raved about it. This movie about gangsters, time travel betrayal and revenge has its moments and the three main stars of the movie Vince Vaughn as Future Nick / Present Nick,James Marsden as Quick Draw Mike and Eiza González as Alice have their moments when they make nods to pop culture, share some fun dialogue and have some action packed,blood soaked shootouts. But those characters and situations they find themselves in have a blandnees that's unshakable.Partially due to lacks in chemistry and pacing. Now Keith David as Sosa and Jimmy Tatro as Jimmy Boy steal this movie and I smiled during every scene they were in. Their delivery of lines was on point and we're absolutely funny and then some. I praise Director and writer Bendavid Grabinski for trying to do something different for two separate genres but he doesn't keep it interesting and the plot was far to simple plus with a basic and partially predictable ending.
PRAISE: In the past 2 weeks two movies and a streaming series have been released featuring women that are in peril and then some. I think They Will Kill You is the most entertaining of them all even though I've only watched 2 episodes of Something Very Bad is Going to Happen. The story is multi layered and its about an ex-convict who answers an ad to be a housekeeper at a mysterious New York City high-rise but finds and faces far much more than she bargained for. High praise to Zazie Beetz who portrays Asia Reaves for her acting and extremely physical performance in the movie. In fact praise to all of the actors and stunt people in the movie. I liked the way the action sequences were filmed,mainly with wide shots letting me take in all of the action fully seeing what was happening on the big screen. Also praise to Director Kirill Sokolov and Cinematographer Isaac Bauman you can see the hard work they put into the movie. Its a very involving movie not only because of the action in which I winced right along with the characters that were dealt shocking hits either with a weapon or fist but its the aforementioned multi layers too. What's around the corner? Who's going to show up next? What's in that room? There are great nods to The Evil Dead movies and Kill Bill....in fact if Quentin Tarantino ever watches this movie there are definitely some scenes he will watch over and over again. There's some good messages about loyalty and love for family and how even the noblest causes can turn nasty. The movie had just the right amounts of campiness and gore.
PROBLEMS: I kept thinking there should of been a bit more about Asia's background because it felt like she even hinted at more during some brief exposition from her. There's a been there done that vibe in some parts of the movie that always makes me wonder writers are talking to much to their fellow writers about their screenplays.
PRAISE: It's funny how some scams go on and on even the ones that i thought would become extinct due to extra layers of security. Cole is a master of the old debit card and phony card readers onto ATM machines scams. In fact he's too good at it which gets the attention of others and places blunt barriers in his way. Dane DeHaan does a very good job as Cole. Portraying a character that's smart,could be using his skills elsewhere but definitely guarded and then some. The rest of the cast also does very well with their roles with intense no nonsense portrayals including Sasha Calle as Sarah, Mamoudou Athie as Oscar, Jeffrey Donovan as Bilson, William Belleau as Doug, and Karina Gale as Anna. I liked that the movie put me on edge when it came to trust,seduction and dangerous characters. I liked how the movie slowly but surely evolved from something seemingly simple to more complicated and twisty. Director Rebecca Thomas gives the film a Michael Mann vibe which increased how much it easily flowed and how the more involving it became.
PROBLEMS: Some imagery lead to a predictable turn,but that turn was easily written off and I wondered why it was included. I wish there had been more character development for a couple of characters.I was pushed to suspend disbelief a few times. Some moments were to on the nose
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