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Movie Night (Official Movie Discussion Thread)

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Possibly the most disturbing movie I've ever seen. Do not watch this movie. I finished it hours ago and im still upset. Hov did that so hopefully you won't have to go thru that.
 
Mothers Day




Mother Mayhem

PRAISE: This quick action romp about An ex-special forces operative who must rescue the son she gave up for adoption was a fun watch. It is as much as a video game as the video games the movie gives several nods to.
The action scenes are filmed in a slick and stylish way that adds to the fun. When Nina (Agnieszka Grochowska) takes on the thugs and bad guys she has to get creative in a couple of scenes that brought a smile to my face. The villain in the film Volto portrayed by Szymon Wróblewski
(dude put some clothes on) is sadistic and complete insane but was fun to watch go over the edge several times. Some pretty good kills and a good twist also add to the fun.

PROBLEMS: The plot is basic and then some. I never got to the core of the characters because the writing just gives the viewer some basic lines about the characters and its up to the viewer to figure out the motivations of the characters and why they have certain estrangements. Some moments are over the top.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 7
 
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse




More Multiverse Madness

PRAISE : Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse times 100....maybe even 200 !!
This time Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence.
I loved the great and enthusiastic voice work from the entire cast.
Once again a great and involving story is set up as Miles Morales is growing up,being a hero and trying to cut the apron strings.
I did enjoy that the story involves more of the partial origins of other Spider People like Spider Gwen and Spider-Man 2099 who come with their own losses in life and regrets.
There is so much to take in in this movie. So many Spider People that I know for sure that people are going to pause the movie when it hits Ondemand and Streaming. Some are well known but others not so much by the general public and long term fans of Spider People in the comic books and that's another great thing about this movie the colorful captions with a bit of information about a Spider Person or fact about the Spider-Verse showing that the film never forgets its comic book roots. Also making a huge nod to international Spider People that was very charming.
High Praise to all of the animators because I know it wasn't easy putting so much in just a few frames of the movie. That also featured various types of animation. I enjoyed how the movie gives the audience time to reflect on a certain scene and simultaneously taken in the amazing art work. There are several surprises that brought a big smile to my face. I really love what Super Hero films and TV shows are displaying with their multiverses.
I hope there's not another 5 years until Beyond The Spider-Verse

PROBLEMS: With all of the abundance and ambition in this movie things definitely felt a bit jumbled at times.
By the time the movie gets to its 3rd out of 6th endings I started to feel it's length.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 9
 
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts




Repetitive Rise

PRAISE: I definitely remember the badly animated 1996 Beast Wars series. I was curious to see how many characters from that show would be included in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
They did a good job with the inclusion of some of the characters and the SFX work.
Anthony Ramos and Domonique Fishback do fine with what they are given.
The voice work from Pete Davidson as Mirage, Michelle Yeoh as Airazor, Ron Perlman as Optimus Primal, Peter Dinklage as Scourge and last but not least Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime was excellent.
Scourge is probably the best villain since Transformers Age of Extinctions villain Lockdown.
I did enjoy a lot of the excellently choreographed action sequences. Some of the humor really worked. The soundtrack was great bringing back a lot of memories. The inclusion of something that I wanted to see in live action since the first Transformers movie was great. The presentation of something that could infuse new life into this franchise is something I'm looking forward to.

PROBLEMS: The movie presents a mainly ultra ,basic and clichéd human story.
I guess I'm experiencing Transformer fatigue. Sure the movies are entertaining but have become so repetitive I can almost guess what characters will say and what the outcomes will be for them.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 7


Lyla




No need for a lengthy review
At first glance I thought oh this movie has the same vibe as The Shining. Writer with a son and wife in a remote place...but no this is a patchwork of non linear scenes that add up to nothing.
The best thing about the movie is the great cinema photography. Was this a fever dreamlike nightmare or about overwhelming guilt?
Who knows.....who cares.....

Scale of 1 to 10 a 2
 
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Anybody check this movie out? Great movie for us parents with young pre-teen girls.

Synopsis: Eleven-year-old Margaret moves to a new town and starts to contemplate everything about life, friendship and adolescence. She relies on her mother, Barbara, who offers loving support, and her grandmother, Sylvia, who's coming to terms with finding happiness in the next phase of her life. Questions of identity, one's place in the world, and what brings meaning to life soon brings them closer together than ever before.

My daughter and surprisingly I loved this movie. It was cute. Highly recommend.
 
The Flash




Flash & Fate


NO SPOILERS

PRAISE: After so much talk about this movie possibly being scratched after the off screen actions of it's star Ezra Miller The Flash has finally hit the big screen.
First things first Miller is very good in the movie taking on a dual role that is playful and coupled with raw emotion as Barry Allen/The Flash uses his superpowers to travel back in time to change the events of the past.
Of course i found Michael Keaton in the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman to be great in this. It's as if he has been portraying the character for the past 31 years instead of reprising it. Sasha Calle as Superman’s female replacement, Kara Zor-El does great with the time she is given displaying all the right amounts of despair and care and forming it into a believable performance.
I enjoyed the action sequences especially the ones at the beginning of the movie.
I think the movie did a great job with it's story threads about fate and life altering events,living with the losses that shape us.
The movie definitely has a lot of fan service coupled with nostalgia with the past,the present and what could have been. Anyone that has been a DC fan over the years should be pleased with whats presented i know it definitely put a smile on my face.



PROBLEMS: I thought that portions of the movie were overly silly and to time consuming especially in it's first 45 minutes. The movie goes into a repetitive mode that i know was neccessary for some moments but it still just felt like it was padding the movies lengthy running time.
Some of the CGI was a bit choppy at times.
I do wonder if a couple of things that were definitely changed in the past few months, were just set up for a laugh and that will basically go nowhere in the future for DC movies.


Scale of 1 to 10 a 7½
 
EXTRACTION 2




Stoic Survivor


PRAISE: Chris Hemsworth returns as commando Tyler Rake after surviving a near fatal assault. This time he embarks on a dangerous mission to save a ruthless gangster's imprisoned family.
This movie is for action junkies like me. Every box is checked from hand to hand fights ,car chases and aerial assaults. The CGI is so close to being flawless at times I couldn't tell if it was practical effects or CGI used in various action sequences. High praise to Director Sam Hargrave and everyone involved in putting all of the aforementioned scenes together. Coupled with the action are some solid dramatic scenes of Rake dealing with his own personal losses and regret. Praise to Olga Kurylenko for also making the aforementioned scenes work.

PROBLEMS: Watching what a certain character witnessed and went through there was no logic or reason to the decisions the character made. I felt that the decisions were kind of forced for something that was so obvious.

Scale of 1 to 10 an 8½
 
No Hard Feelings



JLAW + Flaws

PRAISE : No Hard Feelings is a return to the woman behaving badly sex comedy. This story about a woman on the brink of losing her childhood home, agrees to date a wealthy couple's introverted and awkward 19-year-old son.My lady
Jennifer Lawrence tackles her role as Maddie with such enthusiasm, and uninhibited freedom she is a joy and then some to watch. Andrew Barth Feldman portrays the awkward virgin Percy who is also very good and they have great chemistry. Im glad he wasnt saddled with cliches. The two have scenes that really work as she attempts to seduce him and actually bond with him.
There are some fun scenes with Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti as Percy's parents. There are definitely some raunchy and surprising moments I wasn't expecting. I couldn't help but recall other movies that have gone down similar paths like The Last American Virgin.

PROBLEMS: Even with all of the antics,sight gags,and sweetness the movie provides it is definitely an uneven movie. It never gets to the right balance of all of the aforementioned. I wanted more from the characters and the plot of the movie.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 7
 
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny





Farewell Indy

PRAISE: I will never forget sitting in a now long gone theater in Brooklyn New York with my father and watching Raiders of the Lost Ark . The movie was and still is one of the best I've ever seen. This fifth IJ film....not so much but it does have its moments. The story this time around Indiana Jones races against time to retrieve a legendary dial that can change the course of history. Accompanied by his goddaughter.
Harrison Ford is great as ever as the title charactere weather beaten by life and his many adventures he finds himself begrudgingly in another one and I love how all of the aforementioned is displayed in the film. I didn't really care for Helena “Wombat” Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) as Jones goddaughter until the last 30 or 40 minutes of the movie but I will get to more on her later.
Director James Mangold is able to put some of that classic IJ rhythm on the big screen. I can't deny that I had a big smile on my face during some of the action sequences.
Also there are some all to brief moments of raw emotion. There are some great call backs to previous IJ movies. I was impressed with about 70 percent of the CGI work in the movie. They seem to be truly trying to perfect deaging. There are great moments in which the movie is able to capture Jones wonder of and love of history. I really liked the "living in history" moment in the movie. It felt like the movie got some of the full circle moments right.

PROBLEMS: OK back to Helena I felt the character for the most part was there to one up Jones or constantly remind him of his age.
I didn't really care for the new side characters except for Antonio Banderas who's time was all to brief. The villains were lackluster Mads Mikkelsen is usually great but it just felt like he and his henchmen were doing Neo Nazi Cosplay. The CGI in some scenes was glaringly bad.Also the editing was beyond obvious and then some.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 7
 
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Possibly the most disturbing movie I've ever seen. Do not watch this movie. I finished it hours ago and im still upset. Hov did that so hopefully you won't have to go thru that.
A 90 minute Hate crime

It showed the pathology of white supremacists and white people in general. You see them justifying and rationalizing their thoughts and behavior in real time. They can do no wrong because they say so and anything goes.
 
Joy Ride




Joy & Jeers


PRAISE: Joy Ride joins No Hard Feelings in this new era of Women behaving badly movies. This story about Audrey who's business trip to Asia goes sideways,enlists the help of Lolo, her childhood best friend, Kat, a college friend, and Deadeye, Lolo's eccentric cousin. Of course nothing goes as planned and it's a crazy,gross out,sex filled ride with a lot of heart.This comedy leans hard on it's Rating
Sometimes comedies like this can get it all wrong and go to over the top but i think Joy Ride ends up somewhere right in the middle but the cast including Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, Sabrina Wu
all turn in game for anything and enthusiastic performances. Even with all of the sight gags and raunchiness the movie manages to squeeze in some celebrations of asian culture.Definitely some solid laugh out loud moments.


PROBLEMS: Some scenes feel and fall flat.As soon as i saw a character it was extremely predictable on how the scene the character was in would play out. At times it seems the writers forgot what they were going for. There is a been there done that feel to how some things play out that definitely reminded me of some of the same story threads that were in comedies like Bridesmaids and Girls Trip.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 7½
 
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One






Mission Accomplished

PRAISE: Tom Cruise and Co's mission was to bring some thrills to the Summer and they do and then some. Aside from his mother Margaret ,Uncle Donald and his ex wife he doesn't really have any family.
His IMF team are his family and friends. With those familial ties come connections to others and the problems they have so of course Ethan is going to help them and protect them any way he can.
I think it was wise to use this in the movie because it grounds it and gives it emotional weight. This plays out in some great scenes with several other characters. All of the actors do a great job with the inclusion of Haley Attwell as a complication filling but lovely lady.C Chief villain Gabriel (Esai Morales), and his henchwoman, Paris (Pom Klementieff)and the relentless pursuer agent Jasper Briggs (Shea Whigham)
Every character means something either as thorns in the side or allies.
Director Christopher McQuarrie and Cruise wanted audiences to be immersed in and feel like they are part of the action sequences and fight scenes and its brilliantly done in some catch your breath if you can manner.
Portions of the film reminded me of some of my favorite movies and TV shows like Sneakers and Rabbit Hole.
The movie even amusingly pokes fun at itself in a couple of scenes.
For the last 3 MI movies I've said Ethan Hunt is America's James Bond and a couple of threads in this movie make it a fact.
The movie definitely left me with questions that I hope part 2 provides.

PROBLEMS: Things get a bit jumbled here and there.There are a couple of far too precise and convenient moments. I did start to feel the length of the movie at times.

Scale of 1 to 10 an 8½

Cruise spoke about his admiration of Harrison Ford last week and how he hopes to play Ethan Hunt until he's 80 . I think he can probably pull it off.
 
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