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Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
We need more Martin McDonagh
It usually takes about 4 years for Martin McDonagh to release another one of his films. We waited 5 years this time, and it was totally worth it.
The positives include the performances, particularly by Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell, with John Hawkes and Woody Harrelson also standing out. As usually Martin McDonagh's writing is funny and boundary-pushing while never losing the heart of the film in his own jokes. The characters are also very well written, with Mildred not being the female powerhouse that the trailers suggested. The directing of Martin McDonagh has always been good but this film steps it up a notch, with the film capturing the feel of the town brilliantly in the early stages.
The negatives only really include a slightly dodgy performance by Lucas Hedges and one or two scenes that used cheesy emotional music when it didn't really need to be there. These are very small things that just prevent this from being a 10/10 film.
To conclude, Martin McDonagh proves himself to be one of the best writers around and Three Billboards out Ebbing Missouri probably being his best film yet. Hopefully Martin McDonagh will get nominated for screenplay at the Oscars as well as best performances by Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell.
Going in Style (2017)
Pretty fun, nothing special
A large part of the enjoyment of this movie comes from the fact that these three actors are in this movie. You will not find anything special in this movie, just a fun action movie that is slightly above in terms of quality.
The positives of this movie include the performances from the three main actors. While sometimes feeling cheesy, they are still done very well. Also the general idea of the film is quite funny.
The negatives of this movie mainly revolve around the fact that there is nothing you haven't seen before in these types of movies. Also I don't believe the script brings out the maximum amounts of laughs that you could in this movie. The Bucket List and Last Vegas already made the jokes about old people being old and seemed like the go to joke in this movie.
Overall, I didn't mind this movie, it was a fun watch. While not a great "film" and not bringing anything new artistically, it watch a fun watch and a great movie that you don't take too seriously. People who enjoy movies that way will like this.
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017)
Not for everyone, a lot of fun though
This movie mildly entertained me and will for sure entertain children and fans of the Captain Underpants series, but for a lot of the time just annoyed me with the how basic the movie came across.
The positives include some of the jokes that were told, which were done effectively and hit the audience I was with very well. Also, the tempo of this movie I thought was right on and the character Mr. Krupp, who I thought was the highlight of this movie with the voice acting and the general idea of the character spot on.
The negatives of this movie mostly apply to the adults who go to see this movie. I personally found this movie very basic and stuff we have already seen before in kids movies, including some of the jokes which kind of fell flat.
Not a terrible movie but there was a lack of new ideas, poor jokes and entertainment for the adults which inhibit this movie from achieving the well roundedness of such films as Zootopia and the LEGO movie series.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
Not as bad as people say
This movie is insane, Kingman: The Secret Service was insane too. One thing that people miss about this movie is that boundaries are supposed to be pushed and things are thrown into this movie that are not meant to be taken completely seriously. With that being said, there are still some negatives to this sequel.
First, the positives. One is the style and energy of a movie like this which isn't lost in this. The second, in my opinion, is the acting of the majority of the actors in this. Third, I quite enjoy the insane lengths that these movies seem to go to shock the audience or perhaps squeeze out a laugh.
The negatives of this movie are quite noticeable in this movie too. The biggest problem in my opinion is Julianne Moore's character. This problem shouldn't be too difficult to fix. In The Secret Service, Samuel L. Jackson played perhaps one of the most outrageous villains I have seen in a while with his lisp and phobia towards violence, which added so much humour to his character. When it comes to Julianne Moore's character (Julianna Moore wasn't too bad), there was no outrageous thing that added that humour and each time she was on the screen it almost got to a stage of boredom, which is not good for this movie. Another downside I found was the amazing action style that Matthew Vaughn has brought to these movies. While it is entertaining to watch, the opening action scene there was too many shots and there was too much to take in so the audience tends to fall behind and fall out of the movie. Also there was some actions scenes that came across a bit stereotypical and lacked that inventiveness like the bar scene did in the first movie.
This is by no means a bad movie, it is just frustrating to see that the problems with this movie were completely preventable and just needed that extra creativity added to certain characters and scenes.
La La Land (2016)
Not my type of movie, is now
Damien Chazelle's Whiplash was a fantastic movie so I was excited to see what he did next, and La La Land is probably my favourite "musical" ever.
Musicals are not my type of movie and this movie of course has the scenes of people getting up, singing and dancing their hearts out, but in no scene does it without progressing the story in some way which I loved. Not only is the non-stop use of music actually good, but also never feels like it was forced into the movie.
Damien Chazelle is a genius, and his obvious love for jazz seeped through the screen throughout the movie and contains one of the most underrated scenes in this movie where Ryan Gosling talks about jazz and his love for it, and this theme is probably my favourite of the film.
The only downside to this movie is the inevitable lack of people being interested in a musical as they may not believe they will see a great story as well, which is definitely evident here.
This addition to Damien Chazelle's collection is very welcome and one of the best musicals in recent memory. We can only hope that Chazelle expands his work outside of movies about music so he can be appreciated by a wider audience. With La La Land, he has proved that he is capable.
The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)
Beautiful story, beautifully told
I was interested by this movie as it is directed by the man who brought us Blue Valentine, which was fantastic. This movie shocked me in every way, and I could tell just from very first shot that it will surprise me.
It was not only the amazing work in the visuals and casting, but it was the story and the way it was told that shocked me. Some decisions that were made in the writing and progression of the story were fantastic in the way they deviated from general storytelling ways, while holding a three act structure.
Another way this movie amazed me is the combination of many genres, which was effective and never felt overwhelming or confusing. The theme of decision-making and doing the right thing is the obvious dominant theme and the portrayal of that is effective.
There is one actor in this movie which stole the show, and that is the performance of Bradley Cooper, who took this character and made it his. At no point did I retract from the story to think to myself, "wow, Bradley Cooper is really good in this", but after the film after thinking about it was when I really appreciated the way he portrayed this character, and his character serves as the central point for the dominant theme of the movie, which was also done very well.
The only negative I can really think for this movie is the ambiguity and openness of certain parts of the story which some people may not like and could perhaps prefer that closure.
To conclude, this is definitely a film worth your money if you are a fan of storytelling, emotion and great film-making.
Despicable Me 3 (2017)
More throw away material
I did not have high hopes coming into this movie, yet I am still disappointed with the lack of passion that went into the creative side of this movie.
First with the positives of this movie. For me, the idea of the dance fighting I found new and pretty fun. Also the positives of this movie include Steve Carell and the animation, which was done really well. Also the minions character go to unexpectedly dark new heights, which I thought was a risky but worthwhile choice by the writers.
Now onto the negatives, and there are a few. First I have to get this out of the way. The character of the wife of Gru is undoubtedly the most annoying character as well as being a very belittling character towards women. This character annoyed me greatly and made the audience feel like idiots. Next is the introduction of the character Dru, which could have gone two ways but did not work and did not add any comedic purpose and seemed just to serve as a massive cliché of two different characters having to work together. But in my opinion the biggest problem with this movie is the incredible lack of jokes that hit throughout the run time. This was a huge fault in my opinion with the screenplay of this movie.
For any adults that have to attend this movie I feel sorry for and will most likely take away from the movie experience that we all love. At best this is a fun movie that some kids who will stare at the screen blankly for an hour and a half while the parents consider whether they will be taking their kids to see another movie again.
To the Bone (2017)
Surprising to say the least
To The Bone is currently out on Netflix and I heard it was quite good so I checked it out.
Straight of the bat, this movie was probably one of the most moving and effective movies I have ever seen. Not so much because of the realism or dark extents that this film is not afraid to go to, but the acting. This movie made me think more than most movies do and I am not one that has a lot of knowledge on anorexia nervosa. What this movie did do, though, is force me to understand how the main character thinks in regard to food and that is the biggest compliment you can give this type of movie. Keanu Reeves was also a fantastic casting choice for the doctor, and was also really good.
There is one scene in particular towards the end which on the surface seems like a risky scene to incorporate into a movie like this, but it paid off tremendously and this ended up being one of the most emotional and moving scenes I have seen this year, and this movie is worth seeing just for that scene.
The only downside I can think of to this movie is the writing for some of the supporting characters such as Alex Sharp, which despite his fantastic acting, will be a character that may come across negatively to some people. Another problem I had was how the last few scenes of the movie were handled, but that mostly comes down to opinion and not fact.
Overall, this movie is much more moving and emotional than any other movie I have seen this year and deserves all the praise and recognition it can get, despite the fact that this movie will not click for some people.