Reviews

Steven Spielberg is one of the biggest directors in Hollywood. He has made numerous films ranging from Jaws to Jurrasic Park. Not all of Spielberg's films are classics. Sometimes a director makes a turd and it's back to square one (make something else and make it better next time around). I must admit that I'm not a Steven Spielberg fan, so I wasn't expecting to watch Ready Player One, but I'm pretty glad I saw it!

I went in with extremely low expectations, and I walked out thoroughly enjoying the experience.

I wouldn't watch this movie again, but it is a good/okay movie.

If you're liking for a good time, check this one out.

If you're looking for a movie with depth and raw emotion with a powerful moral message than this ain't the movie for you.

Just sit back, relax, and have fun with it because it's nothing special ... Just nostalgia and there's nothing necessarily wrong with that.

Three Billboards in Ebbing, Missouri is a dark comedy/crime thriller.

The main focus is on Mildred (Frances McDormand) putting up three billboards to make the police department focus on catching the killer who murdered her daughter.

Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) is the Chief of the police department and he doesn't think that the three billboards are very fair because he believes that he and his department did the best they could within the law of their job.

Dixon (Sam Rockwell) is an officer who is hell-bent on making Mildred take the billboards down. Dixon is a guy who will go outside the law in order to accomplish whatever he sets his mind to.

The movie doesn't have a main focus on what it tries to tell.

Is this about how people should come together for the greater good regardless of their differences?

Is this about how people never can truly see eye to eye when there is a greater situation at hand?

Everyone in here, for the most part, has a story to tell and yet none of this focuses on what I came to see in the first place.

I thought this movie was going to be like Gone Girl mixed with comedy and that's not what I got.

What I got was a movie that's funny, heartfelt, and genuine, but it doesn't have a focus on what story it actually wants to tell.

I was very disappointed with this movie, it could've been so much more.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZjN8IxOD-4

The Florida Project is good for a while, but then it continues on a path of nothingness.

The kids are cute and fun for a little while, but the movie doesn't execute its plot for a good chunk of its runtime.

It was fun to watch Brooklynn Prince and her friends go on adventures and get into trouble.

Willem Dafoe stole the spotlight every time he was on screen.

Bria Vinaite's scenes were good, but I wanted to know more about her character, her story should've been brought more to the forefront.

Nothing much happens here except some kids running around and getting into trouble for a majority of the film. The adults have a propose here too, but their stories aren't engaging enough to save this wannabe documentary that tries to discuss innocence and homelessness with no real depth to any of its characters.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSQRjvocw04

Saoirse Ronan stars as Christine 'Lady Bird' McPherson, she want's to escape from her home existence, and move somewhere where she can be free.

Laurie Metcalf stars as 'Lady Bird' mother Marion McPherson, she wants her daughter to understand the reality of existence, but her struggle to understand her daughter usually ends with the two of them butting heads.

I loved the relationship between Marion and 'Lady Bird', their scenes were the life and soul of the movie.

The father (Larry McPherson) played by Tracy Letts was good, but there isn't much going on with him.

The brother (Jordan Rodrigues) played Miguel McPherson, his scenes with 'Lady Bird' were funny, but he didn't have much to do as an overall character.

Beanie Feldstein stars as 'Lady Bird' best friend Julie, all of her scenes with 'Lady Bird' were good, their friendship goes through the motions, and it's pretty entertaining.

The various boyfriends of 'Lady Bird' come in and out, but that's usually how it is in high school, friends come and go.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie Lady Bird. The relationship between Lady Bird and her mother was all great, the comedic stuff with Lady Bird and her brother was funny, the friendships and boyfriends that came and went did hold my interest, and I had fun and enjoyed the journey of Lady Bird.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLaxCE6Tr_8

The DCEU's track record is pretty lackluster if you ask me. Man of Steel was okay, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice was bad, and Suicide Squad was garbage, but Wonder Woman was good, and that's their only redeeming film in their extended universe.

Zack Synder is a terrible filmmaker, only making films that have beautiful aesthetics over story substance. I don't like any of his films, but I will say, "They are damn good to look at." However, his movie 300 has both a good narrative and a breathtaking aesthetic pallet. 300 is his only good film.

I don't know why Warner Bros. decided to stick with Synder after Man of Steel and BVS both bombed at the box office.

Can terrible filmmakers eventually produce good work, of course.

Justice League is the first team-up movie featuring some of our favorites superheroes, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman all team-up to protect the world from the evil that plagues the world.

I wasn't looking forward to this movie, to begin with, however, I did want it to be good, and I did want to feel the epicness.

Justice League is fun while watching, but almost none of it is memorable.

I had a blast during a majority of the action scenes, but none of them stick out to me. If you were to ask me what was my favorite action scene, I would say, "They all felt the same, except for the man in the red cape, I like what they did with him here."

The story amongst the characters is thin, Aquaman, and The Flash get the short end of the stick. Cyborg's story development has the impact unlike his co-stars, but he doesn't have any layers added to his character.

Aquaman is dull and typical, but Jason Momoa did make the experience fun.

The Flash was fun to watch, but his story was dull and predictable.

We already know who Batman and Wonder Woman are and so they don't need an introduction.

Overall, I didn't care about the plot. The character's stories were razor thin. The action was forgettable. The villain was $hit. The CGI was terrible.

I loved all of The Man in the Red Cape scenes. The action was fun while watching.

I don't have any major gripes with the movie. What do you go to a superhero movie for, you go for the fun right, and you're looking for a good time, right? I had fun with the Justice Leauge, but it should've been more than fun, it should've been epic.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5ES622BChk

Thor: Ragnarok is the third installment in the Thor solo film series. Thor fights his deadliest adversary yet, Hela, an evil woman who's determined to conquer Thor's home world of Asgard.

Independent film director Taika Waititi, Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), What We Do in the Shadows (2014), Thor: Ragnarok (2017) - The Best Thor Film.

The only negative thing I can say about Taika Waititi as the director of Thor 3, he needs to polish the bloated CGI-heavy action scenes, however, I believe that's more on Marvel Studio's head than anything else.

When one character is fighting swarms of oncoming enemies (in this movie) it feels forced and faked for the most part. But, during the one-one battles (mostly Hulk vs. Thor) those fights are exciting and they bring out the inner child in me.

Also, Marvel Studio's needs to tone it down with the comedy. There's nothing wrong with laughing every now and then, but when some of the comedic bits come off as a bad 3 stooges gag... then we need to tone it down with the jokes.

Thor was always my least favorite Avenger, the bottom of the barrel, but this film has given me a new respect for Thor, and now he's my number two guy... Hulk's my number one.

Hulk is great here. I like what Marvel did with the character, in this film, they take him in a slightly new direction, and it works.

Hela is an okay villain, Marvel still has a bad villain problem. Taika Waititi tries to make Hela look strong, but it comes off as rushed and forced. Taking out swarms of enemies is good for the character and it proves that they are strong, but if I can barely see what's happening on screen, then that falls on the directors head. Hela was cool, but they should've given her more to work with.

The beginning of the movie was bland and boring, the middle section was the most interesting, and the finale was better than the beginning, but it wasn't as exciting as the middle.

Thor Ragnarok is a good movie, I had fun with it. Besides the small problems I had with the film, I still ended up having a good time.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Tan5c72MIc

Geostorm is one of those disaster flicks that takes itself too seriously. The first act in the movie was boring and slow, nothing significant happened. The second act's mystery plot was predictable, zero interest, and no intrigued. The third and final act's mystery unfolded itself to reveal something I felt was mundane and mediocre. By the time everything was finished, I had zero interest in most of characters and events that occurred throughout the movie.

The first act explained how the satellites worked and how they protected the earth from its own weather, the explanation was believable in context. The second act set up the mystery part which was my least favorite. By the time the mystery was set-up, I had already figured it out. I realized that by this point, I'd been patiently waiting for the action to transpire. One random action scene occurred during the middle section of the film, it felt out of place. After the believable opening, the predictable mystery, the third act picked up, the action kicked in, and I was satisfied. Hannah Lawson played exceptionally by Talitha Bateman was great in her role. Every scene with Talitha Bateman was exceptional. I enjoyed Talitha Bateman's on screen chemistry with Gerard Butler, their family relationship was believable. Abbie Cornish was great here as well, my second favorite character. I didn't care about any other characters here because there wasn't any real development with them. Overall, this movie is run-of-the-mill predictable with zero fun up until the end.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0Qh-seNIEI

I watched the directors cut of the original Blade Runner (1982) a few years ago. Blade Runner (1982) has been considered a cult classic by some, even though it bombed at the box office during its initial release. Throughout the years Blade Runner (1982) has gone through a variety of changes. Many different cuts of the film have been released for the moviegoers to consume. When you ask a fan of the original Blade Runner, they will tell you that the Final Cut of the film is the definitive version. I haven't seen the Final Cut of the film, but I will get around to it.

35 years have passed since the original Blade Runner release. French Canadian film director and writer Denis Villeneuve had some successful films on his resume. Arrival, Sicario, and Prisoners were highly successful films during their initial release. Villeneuve's success has put him on the director hot seat. Blade Runner 2049 is Villeneuve's first attempt at creating a bankable big-budget studio film.

Blade Runner 2049 is a beautiful film with a mesmerizing score, and that's pretty much it. Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Robin Wright, Jared Leto, and Ana de Armas are all terrific in their roles. Mackenzie Davis's character is predictable from the beginning. Sylvia Hoeks's character portrayal lacks conviction, but she's intimidating in the role. My initial intrigue for the film started to decline during its second act. The plot of the story exhausted itself and overstayed its welcome. Nothing of any real interest held my attention other than the musical score, the acting, and the visuals. Blade Runner 2049 is a dry film that lacks any real intrigued for the viewer to grasp onto. The initial part of the film is good because it sucks you into its world of wonder, music, violence, nudity, and bright neon colors. There's a mystery/puzzle at the beginning of the film that keeps the viewer engaged, but that all falls apart during the second half. By the end of the film, I was bored with the story because it wasn't moving forward. During the second act moving forward, the film had slowed down tremendously that by the time it all ended, I had already checked out, I was dissatisfied with the ending, and I thought the film was okay.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N68nRFGxyaI

Positives... 1)Elton John 2)Fight Choreography 3)Skillful Directing 4)Polished Action Scenes 5)Good Acting 6)Julianne Moore 7)President Of The United States

Negatives... 1)The Return Of Harry Hart 2)Overloaded Action 3)Kindergarten Level Of Drug Awareness 4)Whiskey's Conclusion 5)Not As Memorable As The Original 6)Overall Headache

Final Grade: B-

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp899Xi2I6I

Darren Aronofsky makes movies that get your heart-pounding, they build suspense, they are filled with tension, and they hit you emotionally. Mother! is an absolute head trip. Some people may call the movie heavy- handed, but I beg to differ. This movie is the reality that we all must face. There are certain things that go on in this world that are extreme. I will say that viewers should consider this movie as an embellished version of life itself.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZYOm5bkpZ8

IT could've added more depth to it's cast of characters. Some of the CGI looked fake. The movies pacing was a bit to slow, I think it should've moved faster. Maybe I'm just being nitpicky because I did notice some small minor problems throughout, but I did overall enjoy IT and I had a good time with IT. The actors portraying the characters gave good performances.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzJVIvSUR8A

Jimmy Logan orchestrates a plan to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. This movie has an amazing cast of actors who play against their usual character types. Daniel Craig and Adam Driver play Joe Bang and Clyde Logan, and they have all of the best scenes. All of the other actors are fine, but Daniel Craig and Adam Driver carry this pretty dull movie. This movie is slow and boring during the initial part, but the latter half is the most interesting. My one real gripe is that most of the cast had nothing to do with each other. Some characters just showed up, did their jobs, and then disappeared until the end.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwgh8CQiOas

Nobody knows where Howard Wakefield is or what happened to him, but he does, and he's laughing it up while his wife and kids are grieving. All we're doing is watching a man being selfish, doing selfish things, and continuing to be selfish even though the movie is trying to tell me that he's currently feeling empathy. Wakefield went on a journey of self- discovery. I understood what this movie was going for, but I thought it failed because Howard Wakefield as a character ultimately didn't make any sense by the end of it all.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKlzTlAYKD4

I thought a few things within the movie were a bit too extreme for me, but none the less I still had an overall great experience with this film. From the start, you immediately get sucked into this world of wonder and excitement, there's this underlying message to it that feels preachy, but for some reason, it never feels forced. I had fun with this movie, it was bright, it was colorful, and it was absurd, but I believe it had a poignant message to it.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDS4f-R8wC4

Straightforward is the word I would use to describe this movie. Wind River has a linear story with one-dimensional characters who don't go through any transformation or progression. The characters in the movie lack substance, however, they are interesting enough because of the actors who play them. A majority of things do work, The music, the cinematography, the landscape, the random burst of violence, the acting, and the directing.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBZVV6rjtvg

Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit takes place during the Detroit riots in 1967. Shots were fired one night at the Algiers Motel. Detroit Police Utilized unlawful scare tactics during the search for the gunman which resulted in the death of three people. This movie is tense, dramatic, disturbing, and unsettling. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9Zn8DKJxRc

Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite directors. I will watch anything he makes because he crafts movies that are better than sex. The scope takes my breath away. The music excites me. The visuals are lavish enough without being over the top. However, this is not his best work as far as storytelling is concerned.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leLEWI5uzfo

A Ghost Story is about feeling love, loss, heartache, and the pain of life while also feeling the beauty of it all while we all are just simply trying to exist. I love this movie! Best movie of 2017 so far. Simplistic but yet profound. Great performances, great music, great story telling. All around great movie. It's blended with reality, horror, comedy, spirituality, and love in the best ways possible. It all works.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J6xDiwSEbg

This is a good movie. The characters are interesting. The story is engaging. The movie keeps you on the edge of your seat. The movie forces the viewer to pay attention to the screen. However, I feel like there wasn't enough story being told for the movie to truly captivate me. The movie follows the beat of the drum while still managing to be entertaining. I liked it, but it could've been a tad bit better. They should've added more emotional character depth to this story.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kEexsngv5A

I had fun with this movie. I fell in love with Kumail and Emily's relationship, but I feel like it was cut short because of the hospital stuff. But once Holly Hunter's character of Beth comes into play, that's when the movie breaths new life, because she was phenomenal to the point of she deserves to be nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2018 Academy Awards.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPCyNlFxSqw

All of the events depicted in this movie were interesting, but ultimately the movie felt tedious. All of the characters weren't interesting enough to hold my attention. I was bored because most of the events that unfolded were just standard and typical melodramatic soap opera drama. Once the movie was over, I felt empty inside. I didn't hate it because a lot of the story made sense, it's just that the story and people involved weren't all that interesting.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eYOmOETfNQ

I enjoyed this movie, but certain action scenes did go on a bit too long. I also felt that certain characters were underdeveloped. The movie felt a little too cartoonish when I wanted it to be more on the serious side. However, I still enjoyed all the fun and mayhem that this movie had to offer. The music, colors, and mayhem are what kept Baby Driver entertaining.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWCnFeMnd_k

Demetrius Shipp Jr. and Danai Gurira were great in their roles. All Eyez on Me didn't leave a lasting impression on me. I would not watch this movie again. I'd rather watch the Tupac Resurrection documentary because I feel like it has more life in it. All Eyez on Me was my most anticipated movie of this summer, I won't say it sucks, but I will say that it's lackluster. The movie just hit certain beats saying, "Hey, remember this, it's Tupac." The movie could've been so much better. It could've had a deeper, meaningful richer story.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4xnFMoGFuI

It Comes At Night is about a family that desperately tries to survive the horrors that are at their front door. Unbeknown to them, there is another family that is trying to do the same thing. These two families come together during a time where all they have is each other. I feel like this movie showcases how desperate people can become during harsh times. The movie is good, but it doesn't explain anything.

For a more in-depth review, check out my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGxIv9od4rY