TheCasualReviewer's Reviews

First Reformed (2017)

5/10

23 November 2020

SYNOPSIS: A minister of a small congregation in upstate New York grapples with mounting despair brought on by tragedy, worldly concerns and a tormented past (IMDB).

REVIEW: This one should be short. For me, this film really came down to a slow burn that didn't have a gratifying finish. I understand the battle of Hope and Despair in this film and what Toller (Ethan Hawke) is going through, however, it didn't touch me in any real or film related way. I struggle to find why this film had so much Oscar buzz back in 2017 other than the fact that it's an independent film released by A24. People raved about Ethan Hawke's acting and not to say it's bad, but not Oscar worthy. It was just another role as it was with Amanda Seyfried. If I had to pick a standout performance, I would pick the small part that Philip Ettinger played.

To conclude, nothing stood out in this film. Not the direction or acting, writing or any other pillar of making a film that makes it great and not just good. It's not one I'll go back too and I'm sure it's one that'll be forgotten. 5/10.

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Welcome Home (I) (2018)

5/10

It's Aaron Paul... B****

18 November 2020

SYNOPSIS: Bryan (Aaron Paul) and Cassie (Emily Ratajkowski) rent a vacation home in Italy and run into Federico (Riccardo Scamarcio), a friendly local who offers to show them around. The question is, are Fredrico's intention as innocent as they seem?

REVIEW: This film really reminds me of the Directorial debut from Dave Franco that I reviewed not too long ago. A film that had smooth direction and didn't run longer than it should've, but didn't do anything different with the genre. My rule-of-thumb on films like this is if you're going to create a film in an over-saturated genre/sub-genre that you need to add either an original element or elevate whatever it is that you're copying. In this sense, it's the same as doing a live-action remake of a animation. I understood what both characters were going through, though I did feel they made the Cassie character a bit naive. And I know it's hard to tell at times, but I think it's a little easier to distinguish whether someone's being naive or just nice than they portrayed in this film. The acting was good from all parts and I don't feel like needing to expand on that since acting isn't a contributor to what I feel about this film.

In the end, there's not much to say on this film. I had no specific excitement at any moment of the film. On the other hand, nothing made me mad at the film. I just kindle say there and watched. 5.5/10.

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Training Day (2001)

9/10

"King Kong ain't got s*** on me!"

17 November 2020

SYNOPSIS: Jake (Ethan Hawks) spends his first day with Alonzo (Denzel Washington) as a narcotics officer finding out that it might not be as clean of a job that he was hoping for.

REVIEW: This film is completely driven by Denzel. Not to say Ethan Hawke or any of the other cast aren't great, but the life Denzel gives to Alonzo is on another planet. The charisma and aura he builds around his character makes him take control of every scene that he's in. Then you have Ethan Hawke who does really well as his straight partner. Someone who Alonzo can manipulate in the beginning because of being the newby, but not incompetent where he doesn't quickly catch on to what's really happening. David Ayer is really good at creating your average day characters and creating a solid, realistic script with them. He did the same in "End of Watch" and in "Fury." I would say that Alonzo it the outlier, but I believe that Denzel is what made that character who he is. Then you have Antoine Fuqua (Director) creating these very tense scenes between characters, like the kitchen scene with Jake and Smiley (Cliff Curtis). Scenes like this really bring the film above and beyond.

If you're looking for a crime drama that has fantastic acting and some very tense moments, this is the one. 9.1/10.

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The Last Shift (2020)

5/10

Might be Richard Jenkins last shift

17 November 2020

SYNOPSIS: It's Stanley's (Richard Jenkins) last week at his fast food job and he's stuck training a young rebellious kid to take over his job.

REVIEW: This film strikes me as someone having an excess of money and so they paid big to one well-respected actor and paid big to have it play in theaters. I say this because although I didn't hate the time I spent watching the film, I just sat there and thought of how pointless the film was. There were a couple moments that the film was grasping at a point, but it fell flat. It felt like there was an arc to be made with both of the characters, but nothing came of it. I mean, how much of a change can you make within a week?

If you're looking for something to have in the background that you don't need to pay attention to while you do other things, this is the one. It's a background film. 5/10.

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Prisoners (2013)

8/10

Sick and twisted

17 November 2020

SYNOPSIS: One Thanksgiving get-together takes a turn for the worst when the Dover and Birch kids go missing.

REVIEW: I don't have children right now, but damn do I empathize with the two families in this film.

Aaron Guzikowski does a superb job at creating a strong realism in this script. It doesn't feel forced or cheesy. You live through the situation as if it happened to you. Then through the phenomenal acting coming from both families and through Villeneuve's great directing, you build this incredible understanding for what they're going through. High Jackman gives an outstanding performance here as Keller Dover (father to one of the missing children). You understand the sense of failure that he feels as a father and although you don't agree with all of the acts that he does, you get it. This film then takes what you think you know and totally flips it on its head and comes at you with a twist that feels like a mix of outlandish, yet very realistic and you believe the whole thing through and through.

This is the definition of a film that takes a concept that's been portrayed multiple times on the big screen and adds a great amount of originalism. A suspense film that I didn't feel I could predict what was going to happen next. It felt like I was a cop that had a favorite suspect, but couldn't tell you I was 100% sure. This one is a definite recommend. 8.5/10.

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Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)

7/10

Hilarious moviefilm. Love this moviefilm.

17 November 2020

SYNOPSIS: Borat is sent on a mission back to America to give a gift that will make Kazakhstan and America allies.

REVIEW: What's there really to say other than Borat did it again. It's really hard for me to believe that this isn't all scripted and idk if they're really trying that hard to make you believe it, but either way it is one funny ass film. I definitely need to revisit the first Borat film to decide which one was funnier, but if my memory serves me correctly, the original was still a bit funnier. Sacha Baren Cohan is a genius.

If you were a fan of the first Borat, you'll love this one, if you didn't like Borat, you won't like this one. If you've never seen Borat, it's probably cause you couldn't care less anyway. 7.2/10.

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Moneyball (2011)

9/10

Let that guard down, Billy. Let it down.

17 October 2020

SYNOPSIS: Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is the General Manager of the Oakland A's Major League Baseball team and is left with the hefty task of rebuilding a championship contending team after losing their 3 best players and with a very limited budget.

REVIEW: PLEASE don't be discouraged to watch this film just because you're not a fan of baseball or math. The performance from Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill along with the emotional drive this film has will carry you through. Brad Pitt portrays Billy Beane is a way that you can see he really tries to conceal his absolute love for his team and the game. When he's around people and even when he tells them for his love of the game it comes off disingenuous. You get these little moments where it's just him and the camera where you see the true passion. This is where the great acting comes to play. When an actor takes a character and allows the audience to connect and understand what's behind a character and his decisions. You get one scene where you see the final straw and he has an outburst around others. You get flashbacks of when he was a player and they're not overly long or out of place and rather than distracting you from the film, like how a lot of flashbacks do, it actually connects you a lot more to Billy. You can piece together why he's a little guarded now, because he knows that just because things may seem perfect, they might not always turn out to be. This lack of accomplishment he feels that he's always been promised, but hasn't fulfilled even though everyone else feels the exact opposite. He's blind to how he's impacted the game, because he never impacted it in his way and you see this in a metaphor that Peter (Jonah Hill) shows him near the end of the film.

This film was just released on Netflix and I highly encourage anyone who loves film to watch this regardless of how you feel about the topic at hand. The acting is marvelous from Brad Pitt, to Jonah Hill, to Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ken Medlock and the rest of the cast. Then you also get a lovely little side story of a father and his daughter and so many other elements that cultivate into an incredible film. 9.4/10.

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War Dogs (2016)

8/10

What a life. Want it.

17 October 2020

SYNOPSIS: Based on a true story, David (Miles Teller), gets reunited with his old friend, Efraim (Jonah Hill), who reels him into the world of arms dealing. The rush of making big money causes David to take a big risk with Efraim that he's not comfortable with.

REVIEW: This is one of those films that I consider wildly underrated. Not because people don't give it the props that it deserves, but because when you bring up lists like "Best of the Past Decade," people don't really bring up this film.

There's something about a film that immediately comes off as intellectual, that really draws me in. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks this way, but from the very opening scene I got that vibe from this film. The narration from Miles Tiller as he's just breaking down a gun that's in front of him and starts to bring you to the numbers (sorry math haters). It's shows a true direction of the writing and right off the bat tells the viewer, "hey, you better keep up." I'm not saying that you'll be confused, but the pace of the film is asking the viewer to keep your eyes on. If you start slow or too much "action", let's say, either way those two directions can lose someone's interest right away or be too much for someone to take in right away. With War Dogs, there's a little bit of suspense and a little bit of story telling that doesn't hold you for too long to where you're starting to not care. The acting you get from both Teller and Hill is stellar, but the clear standout is Jonah Hill. A large portion of the film almost comes off like it's directed by Efraim. It has this egotistical style with analytics, fast tempo, and look-at-how-I-turned-this-poor-masseuse-into-a-big-baller style. And just like the Efraim character in the film, when the direction feels that way, it's far more interesting. You get caught up like how David gets caught up.

If you're looking for a solid film from beginning to end that will literally keep you interested in what's going to happen next all the way through, this is a great film for you. Superb acting, beautifully paced, and impressively funny/suspensful. 8.5/10.

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The Lodge (2019)

6/10

Wtf Richard!

9 October 2020

SYNOPSIS: Richard (Richard Armitage) thinks it would be a good idea to spend Christmas at their remote Lodge so his fiancé, Grace (Riley Keough) and his two kids Aiden (Jaedon Martell) and Mia (Lia McHugh) could form a bond. What starts as childish pranks, quickly escalates to something much more serious and dark.

REVIEW: What is it about people having this fondness for remote cabins and such in the harshest of weather that screams comfort and relaxation for them? I'm just not that breed I guess.

I'm stuck with this film. On one hand, I truly truly appreciate the screenplay from Veronika Franz, Sergio Casci and Severin Fiala, but I felt a dryness with the film. It's definitely a slow burn and there's little bits here and there that kept my interest, but I the twist of the film was very minimal and then the climax was predictable, which is usually the other way around. I have no issue with all of it being unpredictable (is actually prefer that in most cases), but when I was able to predict the outcome, it knocked the film a couple points for me. Probably the biggest reason as to why I didn't LOVE this film is because the situation felt so easily avoidable that it was hard to believe anything that happened. There's one huge bit of information you find out near the beginning that causes you to question Richard's intentions and for me it comes off incredibly unrealistic.

With that being said, if you're good at suspending all disbelief then I feel you could walk away loving this film. Unfortunately for me, although I didn't hate the film, couldn't get to that point. 6.2/10.

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The Outpost (2019)

6/10

A disappointing moment of our history...

9 October 2020

SYNOPSIS: Based on a true story about a small group of soldiers are ordered to post up in an unfavorable position that gives the enemy height advantage and a 360 view of the post.

REVIEW: It's so crazy to find out certain moments like these in our history that scream stupidity. Having a group of soldiers posted in a ditch surrounded enemies is equivalent to resting your hand on a burning stove.

I've seen many war films and I've come to a single conclusion. That is that it's very important to build a relationship with the characters and the audience. Yes, this is important in most films, however, the genre of war is always so close to reality that it's important that we give a real sense of reality with the characters. It always hits harder when we care about the characters who have a lot at stake. No matter if the film is fiction or not, war is very real and the elements are always true. With that being said, I cared about a couple characters. This characters being SSG Clint Romesha (Scott Eastwood) and SPC Ty Carter (Caleb Landry Jones). With Clint (ironic that it's the same first name as his father), he plays the one character in every war film that just has it together. No matter what happens, you can count on this guy. With Eastwood's performance came a grounded character. A pillar to hold this group as one. With Carter, Jones gave such an incredible performance. I feel this guy has been under appreciated. Every film I've seen him in, he's been so good and I really hope to see him in more films in the future. In this film, he's the guy that no one really likes since it's clear he has a blocked off vibe as if he's had a rough past which they went over slightly. When s*** hits the fan, for a lack of a better phrase, you see his performance propel above the rest. He definitely stole the show for me.

The Outpost was an interesting film based on a true story that I think people should see and will at the very least, enjoy. You'll just need to get past the fact that Orlando Bloom's American accent needs heavy work. 6.5/10.

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The Social Dilemma (2020)

4/10

Social demise. Got it.

22 September 2020

Warning: Spoilers

SYNOPSIS: Here we have a documentary that follows the dangerous path of misleading social media and the effects that social media play in our minds and how it can manipulate a generation.

REVIEW: So this doc is another one of those documentaries to scare you straight or to put a systematic problem that's already been addressed several times. I do understand and appreciate that a Netflix documentary will surely reach more of an audience, however, I felt this had no impact. The people being interviewed themselves, whether it be one of the first workers at Instagram or a former employee at Google, admit to overusing some type of media. When I watch a documentary, especially it being based on truth, I want to feel something. I know there'll be people out there who didn't already realize what these giant corporations are doing to us and how we as customers are viewed to these tech Goliath's, but I have a strong belief that this won't change many people's feelings on the matter. There's no pathos. They do a nice style of adding actual actors to act out these scenarios in an understandable way, however, I found myself strongly wanting to skip these parts as they weren't fleshed out and I didn't care about any of them. I get that all of these characters are supposed to be "us" in a sense, but it really distracted from what's interesting about docs and that's hearing facts and examples from the experts. Although, I did really enjoy Vincent Kartheiser as the A.I.. Good stuff there.

To sum this up, just know that you are a product and the reason you saw an ad on Facebook for that discounted Chanel bag is because you looked it up on google and were talking about it with friends so they try to cater to you so you'll go back to their site. 4.5/10.

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The Devil All the Time (2020)

7/10

Jesus! These performances are nuts

17 September 2020

SYNOPSIS: Arvin Russell (Tom Holland) has had a very rough upbringing and eventually when he's older, decides it's time to take matters into his own hands. However, things don't go as smoothly as he'd hoped.

REVIEW: At the very beginning of this film, a waitress tells Willard (Bill Skarsgård) he has a "nice face" and I've always wished that a woman would just make a blatant indication of her interest to me like that. No I haven't considered the fact that maybe I don't have a nice face. Enough roasting, let me review this film.

In The Devil All the Time, we start off getting a feel for the path this film is going down. We're focused in on different groups of people who reference God in one way or another and you get a true understanding of the title of the film. Anthony Campos has this way of making very beautifully dark images. He can throw it right in your face or it can be very subtle and it makes for some very good shots. The film moves at a very smooth pace and keeps you invested with either the story or what's happening in the moment. Now, it is a parallel telling, so we're going back and forth between different people and they're stories and there are some more interesting than others. The storytelling does make sense, however, I felt parts of it could've been done in a more clever way. It did feel towards the end, they got tired of writing and just decided to make things very coincidental and a lot less organic. I know people have mixed feeling about "Crash", but I do feel the stories converge in a much more natural way. Maybe I'm being too heavily critical, but I just think it could've been cleaned up slightly. To me, the best story is between Arvin and the new preacher, Preston (Robert Pattinson). You have this established friction between Arvin and faith and when Preston comes in, you can see the validation of that distance in Arvin's eyes. That scene between Arvin and Preston was... intense and perfectly acted. Replay that scene please and thank you.

Moving on to the performances. Oh my goodness and gracious Robert Pattinson. Wait... let me wait to talk about him. You have maybe one of the best actors to never win an Oscar in Jason Clarke. Him and Riley Keough as this messed up couple was a joy to watch. One very disturbing image had me cringing. Then we have Harry Melling as Roy Laferty and in his very limited screen time, he's fantastically disturbing. Sebastian Stan was good, but I would have to say his part as the dirty cop was least intriguing to me. Wasn't fully invested in his part. Then getting into Eliza Scanlen as Lenora and Tom Holland as Arvin. Those two did a very good job in their roles and created a real emotion to both. I felt the essence of every scene they were in and I was always interested in both paths. The two standout performances to me were Bill Skarsgård as Willard and Robert Pattinson as Preston. Bill Skarsgård needs to get more opportunities. He could possibly be one of the better character actors we have today. With what he does as Pennywise and what he does in the film can't be ignored and needs to be appreciated by those in this space. You don't just watch his character, you feel it. You feel every decision he makes and when he does something it affects you on a deeper level. Truly amazing.

ROBERT PATTINSON: Now, Robert Pattinson. Oh my dear baby Jesus, Robert Pattinson. I have never been more #TeamEdward in my life. He gives one of the best performances in the last few years in this film and it's his best performance of any film I've seen with him. Woah woah except for Twilight I get it. Us non teenage women just don't understand what he did with that role, sureee. Anyway, other than Twilight, Pattinson gives the performance of his career. I was watching and laughing at it. First of all, where did he muster up that voice? What is it about a tone of voice that can really make you disgusted at a person? And I mean to add to an already weird experience you have with that person. It puts it over the top. If he came out talking like Morgan Freeman, I wouldn't have felt nearly as uneasy. Probably, would've been put to sleep to be honest. But then add that weird energy he gives off. This is before finding out more about him. Basing off of a first impression, you just know something is off about this guy and you immediately don't like him. He does act like a total ass to a sweet woman which I guess helps push you toward a distaste for the man. With every word that comes out of his mouth you hate him more and more and it's insane how believable he was in this role. Absolutely stellar.

In conclusion, this film carries with through with intrigue and pacing. I was never bored with the film. I do feel it could've been tweaked and could've ended up a better film than it was, but I still loved moments in this film and could see myself revisiting it. 7.6/10.

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The Rental (2020)

4/10

Lip is in a film!

17 September 2020

SYNOPSIS: Charlie (Dan Stevens), his brother Josh (Jeremy Allen White) and they girlfriends decide to take a weekend trip out to a very nice house in the hills. What was supposed to be a celebratory get-away begins to get darker and darker.

REVIEW: In case you didn't understand my title, it's a reference to the Showtime TV Series "Shameless" where Jeremy Allen White plays a character name "Lip" (short for Philip) and it's really nice to see him a part of another film since he is my absolute favorite character from Shameless.

The Rental is Dave Franco's directorial debut and I will say that I can see potential in his ability. This film felt like a film that was supposed to be 2-hours, but was forced to cut 40 minutes out of the runtime. I'm not saying that 2 hours would've serviced this film, but it just felt rushed. The acting is this is done well as you'd expect from the cast, however, the story itself was just bland. It was a simple premise that's been used a million times and I'm not saying it can't be done well, but what Franco tries to do here, doesn't add anything. In fact, I'd say it took away from the sub genre. For being less than an hour and a half, it felt like it took forever for anything thrilling began to happen and when it finally did, there was 10 minutes left in the film and so it was rushed. Now, the twist they were going for could've worked in a film that moved at a faster pace or in a film with a long runtime. This idea of not knowing is the scariest part only works when you have time to build a connection. A perfect example is Michael Myers in Halloween. We have no idea what his motive is, but we have a connection to him. We know who he is and through the runtime in the original 1978 Carpenter version, we're with him and the main character long enough to build the tension. It allows us to connect to the main character and for us to be interested in this hunter and hunted story. A film that is able to encapsulate this well in a short amount of time is "Hush." A very well made cat and mouse, where we don't know the motive, which in turn makes it a more impactful horror.

At the end of the day, I could see Dave Franco as a talented director and this as his first lesson. I do hope he tries again and writes a script that captures what he was looking for in a more affective way. 4/10.

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Zodiac (2007)

9/10

The only Zodiac I pay attention to

16 September 2020

SYNOPSIS: Based on the true story of the infamous "Zodiac" killer, Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a cartoonist for a San Francisco newspaper who gets obsessed with finding out who the Zodiac is.

REVIEW: If you don't know who the "Zodiac" is, he is an infamous serial killer who killed multiple people in and around the San Francisco area from 1968-1974. He's most famous for sending the police and the newspaper letters bragging about how many people he's killed and never having been caught.

This film is absolutely fascinating. It might possibly be my favorite suspense film of all time, true story or not. You have one of the top directors in David Fincher pulls through again with his dark and tension-filled style that truly gives an eerie aura to a story. As far as I know this story is almost 100% accurate in accordance to anyone who was involved around the time. That makes this all the more interesting to watch. If it wasn't already amazing to see Jake Gyllenhaal play a cartoonist heavily invested into a serial killer case, Robert Downey Jr. as an arrogant and alcoholic reporter, Mark Ruffalo as an always annoyed detective and John Carroll Lynch casted perfectly as the creepy lead suspect. The acting in this is stellar and the writing is damn near perfect with every line. As a viewer, this film sucks you in with Robert and his investigation to find out who the Zodiac is. Then the way this film ends is possibly the most subtly perfect endings there have ever been in a film. You get closure. Even when we don't know who committed these murders the evidence is quite damning and so it ends in a way that I imagine didn't actually happen, but didn't completely flip the essence of what actually took place.

If you are a fan of suspense, thriller or any sort of interesting true stories around crime I recommend you go see this film right now! When I post this it's currently on Netflix and has been in the most popular category for quite some time. 9.8/10.

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Due Date (2010)

5/10

Don't worry, Due Date will be returned on time

13 September 2020

SYNOPSIS: Peter (Robert Downey Jr.), is about to go home for the birth of his baby when thing start to spiral out of control after running into Ethan (Zach Galifianakis)

REVIEW: I remember loving this film after my first watch. After the second watch I ran into some issues.

While watching this for a second time, I found that a lot of the jokes didn't land the second time around. I understand that with a second viewing that may seem natural, but there are a number of comedies that I can rewatch 100 times and will laugh just as hard the next time. Now, there are still a lot of jokes in this one that I do still find very funny, but I also feel this film moved slow with the second viewing. I do feel the film starts off enjoyable and holds a lot of the humor, then starts to trail off a bit. I'd remember a scene when it comes up and it'd move and move and move until the joke came and then that scene really relies on that joke. If the joke doesn't land then it just feels like a waste of time, because it's really all a sidetrack. There's on mission to get from one place across country to California. It's really about, Will this detour of Ethan's be amusing enough and it's hard for a film to succeed with that strategy. In one of Todd Phillips' films "The Hangover" the detours made sense, because with all things considered, The Hangover was a detective film. Everywhere they went had to do with the end mission of getting information on where Doug could be. In Due Date the detours cause reason for other detours, but none of them have a direct correlation to what the characters' main goal is.

I do believe this film can be quite enjoyable on the first viewing for some, but has little to no replay ability. The banter between Peter and Ethan can be very funny at times, and their shoulders is what this film completely rests on. 5.5/10.

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Boiler Room (2000)

6/10

Sub-plot-o-mania

13 September 2020

SYNOPSIS: Trying to make his father proud, Seth (Giovanni Robison), decides to take his friends offer up to start as a broker. He then starts to suspect what they're doing is not so legitimate.

REVIEW: I've just been so caught up in the stock market and learning about day trading that I'm on this market-betting-film roll. Watching this then The Big Short and now I'll be watching Glengarry Glen Ross and so on. This wasn't really focused on the stock market, but on almost everything else. Let me explain.

So I was interested enough to enjoy my time a bit with this film, however, there was so much going on. First you have daddy issues, then you have an issue with friction between Seth, a girl and his boss, then you have a potential scandal going on and then you also have him learning how to sell. Yes, all of that. The thing is that none of them seem absolutely pointless. They all have a place in this film, but I believe this film could've benefited from staying on track with one subject. My favorite moments were in the "Boiler Room." It's always fascinating to me to watch this super high energy, fast paced environment and throwing in a cowering dog into it. Will the dog succeed or crumble? So maybe it's a personal bias, but I think focusing on the dram happening on the floor versus sharing all of the time with the girl situation and the daddy issues could've made this film much more interesting. To my surprise, I found out that Vin Diesel could act at one point. Maybe he still can, but doesn't care anymore. Giovanni as the lead did well for what was given to him and Ben Affleck was good for all of 5 minutes he was in it. The best performance, despite me not being a fan of spending so much time on their story, was Ron Rifkin as Seth's father. He gave a very emotional feel to the story that I feel is why it didn't ruin the film for me. Through his performance I could feel the weight he carried in Seth's heart. A+ for that.

Overall, I enjoyed the film enough, but I felt it could've elevated if they had focused up on one main plot and created tension through that. 6.1/10.

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Capone (2020)

1/10

Tom Hardy's best performance, but worst movie?

11 September 2020

SYNOPSIS: Al Capone (Tom Hardy), was just released from prison for being deemed "not dangerous" and is now starting his new life out of prison with very crippling form of dementia.

REVIEW: This film was about as interesting as the synopsis I gave. It was about as pointless as an hour and forty minute film about peeling an orange. If this film was reincarnated as a human it would be named "Holy S***idontcare." I feel bad for even bringing holy into this.

Okay, let me give some real criticisms. First, I'll say Tom Hardy was brilliant. The best performance I have ever seen from him. The transformation he underwent for this was so damn good. I believed he truly had dementia and everything from the voice to him speaking Italian was spot on. Now, it's just really unfortunate that this performance came in such a terrible film. The writing was all over the place I had no idea what was happening through the film. This felt like someone trying to take revenge on Capone and just make him look absolutely pathetic for the awful crimes he committed. I don't think anyone really cared to see this, he's dead and we all hoped he had a struggling life after, but I don't think anyone cared to see it. Then when you didn't think this film could be worse than it already is, there's a subplot about the FBI or somebody trying to get information on him for whatever reason and some other plot about a bag of money and yada yada this film was garbage I can't even talk about it anymore.

-10/10 for the film. 11.5/10 for Tom Hardy. 1.5/10.

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Mulan (2020)

2/10

I'll stick to the animation.

5 September 2020

Warning: Spoilers

SYNOPSIS: Mulan (Yifei Liu) disguises herself as a man so she can fight in a war that her father is too old to.

REVIEW: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MULAN WHYYYYYYYYYYYY????

*clears throat*

Okay. Let me explain. I absolutely love the Mulan animated film. One of my all time favorites. I knew going into this film that they were making some ridiculous changes like taking out the songs and taking out Mushu and adding a new villain in the shape-shifting Xianniang (Li Gong) and I was still completely on board when I saw the trailer. This was my most anticipated film of the year so let me now go ahead and explain why this film left such an incredibly bad taste in my mouth. I'll break this one down into sections.

DIRECTING/EDITING/SPECIAL FX: First of all, the directing and editing/special effects were all so poorly done. For example, there's a scene near the beginning of the film when the invaders (this films version of the Huns and can't remember their name even. Something with an "R") are attacking one of the battalions and Xianniang uses a rug to reel this one guard in and there's about 7-8 jump cuts of her just reeling him in. I almost got nauseous from all of the unnecessary cuts just to make a shot look quicker when I'm reality one or two cuts at most would've served that shot much better. Then we had some shots where the camera turned sideways and then back upright and although I think a shot like that could've been amazing, the way it was used was almost just like an experiment. It could've been used far more efficiently. In any of the moments where the characters were going airborne, it felt very messy. I could notice imbalance as if they were stuck to rope, which they are, but is something that shouldn't be noticeable. Not giving any spoilers, but there's literally a scene where a large group of the invaders are on a hill catapulting fireballs at the imperial army and Mulan looks at them from below and in the very next scene is all of a sudden behind them... the only way she could logically done that without being scene is taking a week long trip around this giant hill which by that time would be too late for the other soldiers. Mind-boggling. I can then go on with how ridiculous some of the moves looked to a point where I held in laughter for the sake of the others watching the film with me and didn't want to be rude, but I'd be spoiling the film. Oh and the slow motion shots. My dear lord and savior the amount of slow motion shots in this film. It's truly something to see.

STORY: This part isn't something that I think people would necessarily agree or disagree with me on, but it's just my own opinion. I'm not a fan of how Mulan was already an established warrior. I understand that what they were going for is saying that this "Chi" that's within Mulan, is within every woman and it's up to them to know it's okay to bring it out regardless of how anyone else feels about it. I agree with that sentiment, however, the original film shows that even though you may not know it, as a woman, there is a warrior within and that you should do everything in your power to bring it out and to show others that you are just as capable as any man to be the fiercest warrior. Both sentiments are good, but there's something about someone who has barriers in front of them and us as viewers watching them break through the barriers to triumph. When Mulan already has this powerful "Chi" it by default makes her have an edge on other soldiers and doesn't create much of a challenge. Yea Xianniang is her opposite, but that storyline was so obvious to predict and there were almost no fighting scenes between the two. And the one or two that were in the film didn't feel intense. Didn't feel like Milan's life was in danger at any point. We had multiple scenes that felt so rushed. Not a moment that I felt any emotion whatsoever. Like the scene where Mulan I think is sneaking up on her dad to see him attempt to hold a straight sword and seeing in his eyes the fear, but the honor he must uphold. It's very emotional in the animation and in this it's completely butchered and void of any emotion. Scenes like the matchmaker that are actually trying to taking something from the original are so disappointing to watch and to know this will be the Mulan for most new generation kids. Then I would love to go on a rant on how taking out the commander love interest isn't necessary (cause you could form feelings for a higher up who's actually a genuinely good person) and how taking out the songs is preposterous, because obviously the original film wasn't sexist at all, in fact it was showing that you don't have to be a man to be a warrior, but that's for a different day.

ACTING: The only performance I felt was slightly above average was Yoson An as Honghui. The only thing is he played a character that almost any person can play. Just be charming on screen. BOOM! Love interest... check. Everyone else, including Yifei Liu, were somewhere between average and just bad. Some was due to writing and a lot was due to just bad acting. I'm pretty sure no one there was comic relief. A couple moments were supposed to be comical and missed. I don't understand why they couldn't have actors to represent those 3 goofball soldiers from the original. I know they have Yao (Chen Tang), but none of them at all resemble the original. If there's no Mushu and no soldiers for comical relief do we really have Mulan? Could we have made a film outside of the Mulan property? I still would've seen it, but yes I know millions wouldn't have and that's unfortunate, but it's better than tarnishing a beloved property.

This was already so long and I could write a 10-page essay on how disappointing this film was for me, between the poor directing, bad acting, corny SFX and so much more it's hard for me to even give it as high of a score I'm giving it. The only reason I'm giving it this score is due to the sole fact that I feel part of me is slightly comparing it to the original which I think is fair in ways like when they're literally taking specific scenes from the animation, but the other part of me knows it wasn't meant to be a shot for shot live-action remake. The only redeeming factors was the scenery, the horses and the score that was played at poor moments and was too soft to really feel much from. 2.0/10.

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The New Mutants (2020)

5/10

We all knew what to expect... right?

4 September 2020

SYNOPSIS: Danielle (Blu Hunt) is the only person of her village that is alive and is brought to a strange mutant facility ran by Dr. Reyes (Alice Braga). Things start to seem strange when everyone in the facility seem to be reliving their deepest fears.

REVIEW: I mean, I can't really be upset that this film wasn't the best. After multiple pushbacks and a very lackluster trailer, I knew what I was in for. With that being said, I didn't hate the film. It definitely wasn't good, but I could see potential in it. Some of the scenes near the end were entertaining and a couple of the scenes where we see the characters fear were good, but not too much aside from that had much value. The only acting performance that I would say has any sort of impact on me was Charlie Heston as Sam. Aside from those things, there were a few issues. E didn't get much backstory from the character and a couple of the characters had no flashback of their tragedy which removed what connection you could've had from their character. The acting as a whole was pretty mediocre and you can tell that there wasn't fully thought out idea for the story. It seemed like they wanted to make some quick cash from the X-Men world without truly putting much thought into a reason for having this film. My biggest issue with the film was probably not having a clear villain. You can say that each of their fear was the true villain of the story, but that feels very corny and easy. The villain I think they were going for is Dr. Reyes (Alice Braga), but there wasn't any part of this film that I felt she held much of any threat. She seemed sincere the film and even with an act she's attempting to do at the end of the film didn't appear to be out of any hate and I almost couldn't argue with what she had to do. I would go more in depth with that, but it would reveal spoilers.

In the end, I was disappointed with the performances since I do like Anya Taylor Joy and I felt this was her worst and it's just a bit disappointing knowing this film had potential, but couldn't find a clear path. I didn't hate watching it, but I wouldn't recommend it. 5.0/10.

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The Founder (2016)

8/10

That Ray guy is a crock-of-s***

31 August 2020

SYNOPSIS: This film tells the untold story of how Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) bullies is way into becoming the unofficial founder and CEO of McDonalds.

REVIEW: I have absolutely no idea why this film flew under the radar. From the story to the performances, this film deserves Oscar nominations at the very least. Nick Offerman and John Carol Lynch as the McDonald brothers are delightful. They have very good chemistry and the back and forth between Dick (Offerman) and Ray were done so well. If I had never seen this and looked up the founder of McDonalds, I would've been led to believe this Ray Kroc guy started the whole thing up. As far as how accurate this story is, I can't really tell and it doesn't seem like any of them have really spoken on the film. From what I can find, the story is pretty accurate or at the very least, the the characters in the film are depicted accurately. The pacing of this film is perfect, it doesn't seem too long and they fit the exact right amount of the beginning of McDonald's history, the middle and end. They start from when McDonalds is still very much a start up, but consistently doing well. A very nice 10-minute anecdotal history telling of McDonalds happens within the first 30 minutes of the film and at the point I was hooked. I wanted to see the whole thing unfold.

The writing of this film was spectacular, the acting was great and it was a pleasure to watch the whole way through and you'll hate Ray Kroc by the end of the film. 8.9/10.

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Unhinged (I) (2020)

6/10

Just a solid popcorn flick

23 August 2020

SYNOPSIS: A man (Russell Crowe) who is now psychotic after his personal issues, decides to terrorize Rachel (Caren Pistorius) for aggressively honking her horn at him at a green light.

REVIEW: I'm just glad the theaters are back in Illinois. So maybe I enjoyed this film a little more because of that, but I don't even care. This was definitely not some incredible film that everyone will love. In fact, this is one of those films that are cool, but definitely didn't need to be made. Russell Crowe was spectacular as the hunter and Caren Pistorius (Caren with a "C" so it's different) was really great as the hunted. I have no qualms with the acting, it felt like a real family and a a semi-real situation that was overdramatized for the big screens.

If you're looking for an easy movie to get back into with some thrills and no thinking needed, I think you'll enjoy this film. 6.5/10.

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Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

7/10

Could've been much better

9 August 2020

SYNOPSIS: Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is high off his "mission" he had from Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and is itching to get another mission. While he doesn't get one, he notices burglars using some dangerous tech that he's unfamiliar with and decides to go on his own mission.

REVIEW: I remember being so incredibly hyped to see this film as Spider-Man is my favorite superhero. I was quite disappointed and it's because there's so much potential in this film. I mean, Tom Holland is the best overall Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Michael Keaton is phenomenal as Vulture, Marisa Tomei is one of the most beautiful women on the planet even with her age and you have RDJ making appearances too?! Recipe for success, right? Not exactly.

The jokes in this were so childish, that when they even tried to use adult humor, it fell so flat and was so predictable. Don't want to be too harsh, but I don't think Jacob Batalon is good as Ned. He's really there for comedic relief and his timing is not good. His acting overall could use some work. But again, the writing is quite childish in nature. Same thing with Flash. Flash is meant to be a Jock and he's just as nerdy/wimpy as Peter Parker. Really? This is the route you took? And his ongoing "Penis Parker" (not a typo) joke is so cringe. I don't know how that made post. They completely ruined Shocker (Bokeem Woodbine). I mean, The Shocker is one of Spider-Man's main villains and in here he's introduced as some weak side villain. Then you have the scene of Spider-Man pulling together a ship that's split in half. The problem I have with that is that it's essentially the same exact scene from Sam Reimi's Spider-Man 2. Maybe they're trying to pay homage to that incredible film, but I don't like them doing it by copying the exact scene. Personally, I believe it should be done as little things in the background that you notice. For instance, in IT: Chapter One, they pay homage to the book and old film in multiple ways like having a Tim Curry Pennywise doll in that clown scene with Richie (of course some scenes are very similar because it's based off a book).

There was good to take from this film. Tom Holland is fantastic as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. He's the nerdy, unpopular high school Peter Parker, but the overly talkative and witty Spider-Man. They finally got it right. Toby McGuire was a great Peter Parker, but not witty overly serious Spider-Man and Andrew Garfield was a great witty Spider-Man, but way too cool Peter Parker. Then you had the father-son connection scenes between Peter Parker and Tony Stark that I loved. I really enjoyed seeing their relationship progress a bit. Finally, Michael Keaton does it again. He's just so damn good and for whatever reason keeps taking these bird roles. It seems to work out though so I can't complain.

P.S. Donald Glover was phenomenal in the two scenes he was in. Now, he performed his comedic lines to an absolute T. Funniest parts of the film.

This film had potential and wasn't terrible, but definitely isn't one of my top Spider-Man films. Wish they did more with what they had. 6.7/10.

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Ant-Man (2015)

7/10

Funniest Film in the MCU

1 August 2020

SYNOPSIS: Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is just released from Prison and promises an honest life, so he can provide for his daughter. However, after some pressure from his old crew, he gets back into the heist game to do one job that changes his life forever.

REVIEW: I was very surprised with how much I enjoyed this film. This was the only MCU film that I didn't watch when it actually came out. I wasn't very interested in the character. If I'm being very honest, Ant-Man is still probably my least favorite Avenger. With that being said, I really loved the back story to Scott Lang and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). I really felt bad for the situation that Scott Lang was in, while still knowing that it was all his own fault. One problem is obviously that he got back into the heist game. If this played out in real life, I'm 97.4% sure it wouldn't have turned out the way it did in this film. EVEN if it was a successful heist. It's one of those "we'll look past it since his heart is in the right place" things. I thought the Direction from Peyton Reed was done very well and more specifically the editing was done very well. Anything with effects like these always impress me, regardless if it's not the most impressive edit in today's film industry.

This is probably a me thing, but I'm not a fan of the overly-evil-mad-scientist-villain thing. Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) was exactly that in this film. It could've been a far more subtle villain approach, which could also be on the Writer's behalf, but I don't always like putting the blame on the writers nor the actors. It's hard to know. There is also an absolutely huge discovery near the end of the film that bleeds into the sequel that makes no sense to me cause I couldn't believe that Lang figures it out, but after years and years, Pym never could figure it out. It seemed like such an incredibly simple idea too.

There are a few flaws to the film, just like with almost every other film, but I do still find this to be up there among the funniest MCU films and it's a pleasure to watch. 7.4/10.

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Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

7/10

James Spader is menacing

1 August 2020

SYNOPSIS: While trying to protect the Earth from outside threats, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) creates "Ultron" (James Spader) as ultimate knowledge and a body of armor around the Earth. What Stark didn't know, was that he was creating something with the intentions of destroying everything.

REVIEW: This film might be the most underrated film in the entire MCU. By this, I don't mean people think it's the worst film, but they don't rate it as high as I believe it deserves. It's not a perfect film (Russian accents were... let's not talk about it), but it adds so much to the MCU story. It gives you a huge look into the importance of Hawkeye and shows the audience what's at stake for him versus everyone else. That he really is the only one with something to lose and he doesn't have a super power. Then you get even, mire conflict between Tony Stark and Steve Rodgers (Chris Evans) conveying how different theirs opinions are on the current (current as in the timeframe of the MCU at the time I'd release) "world ending" situation. Although the Russian Accents were... not spectacular, you get a dive into the origin of Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver and why they feel hatred towards Stark, however, not to the world as a whole. The pathos is easy to sympathize with.

I'm so glad this was the conclusion to the Russian accent, I also wish they didn't expand on this weird love story between Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo). I think the Russo's did pick up on the strange relationship there and decided to defuse it relatively quickly. I do understand why those two character would have an attraction, I mean Scarlett Johansson... but on a serious note they do have similar situations and so it makes sense, but there was never any real build up to it. I feel there wouldn't have been enough time to delve deep into that.

Lastly, James Flippin' Spader is something else. His voice fits the character of Ultron so well. The inflections in his voice really bring a depth to the character. It gives you the feeling that this character is evil before they even do a terrible act. That's impressive. I do feel Ultron is a very underrated villain in the spectacle of MCU villains and should be treated with more respect.

This is a film I always enjoy coming back to and I feel people should give more of a chance and see it for what it is. Even if you're not a fan of Hawkeye and his relevance to the Avengers... 7.7/10.

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

7/10

We need a Drax and Mantis show NOW

28 June 2020

SYNOPSIS: Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is found by his long lost father, Ego (Kurt Russell), and learns a lot about himself. He also finds out that it might not be as good of a reunion that he was hoping for.

REVIEW: A step up from the first film. *Insert outrage and hate in the comments*. Someone had to say it and I'm apparently the only one man enough to admit it. We get a deeper dive into the mental of several characters and it was funnier. Don't get me wrong, I have the same qualms that I had from the first film and I also feel that this movie had a couple of terribly unfunny lines. Like, super cringe. Almost makes it worse than the first film, but not quite. On top of learning about who Peter is, why Yondu (Michael Rooker) and Rocket (Bradley Cooper) are the way they are, why Nebula (Karen Gillian) acts the way she does, how Drax (Dave Bautista) feels deep down behind his strong and cheerful facade. This film gives us so much and then it just throws interactions between Drax and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) in there like we're all angels and saints. We don't deserve those moments, but James Gunn goes "here, take this, cherish it, hold on and never let go." Or at least I imagine that's what he would say to us. In this film, I also feel the villain was a genuine threat. I do wish that Starlord wasn't just automatically incredible at what he just found out he could do. Other than that, I really felt this was a strong film with slight potential to do more, but still good nonetheless. 7.6/10.

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