band aid

A married couple works through their marital problems by turning their fights into songs? How can I not love that premise for a movie? This relationship story does have some insightful things to say that might benefit couples watching this, and it does so with a clever and charming plot. It is a pretty low key movie, that relies a lot on the writing and on the actors, which I thought were really good. So this is generally a film that revolves around conversations, more so than flashy sequences. 

If I was to describe what kind of movie it is, I would put it in the dramedy category. There are dialogue scenes in this movie that were quite humorous, despite the fact that several of those funny bits are during characters arguing. Then there are scenes of them arguing that were actually heavily dramatic and emotional, that rang pretty true to real life. While there are some of those really serious moments, this movie more often does try to make us laugh with it's sense of humor, which can be hit or miss. Some plot conveniences do exist as well, but I would say that they are generally excusable. 

Kudos to Director, Writer, Actress Zoe Lister-Jones, for giving us this personal feeling movie, and for playing this female character that is well rounded with some complexities. Adam Pally is also really good in his role as the husband, and brings the appropriate counter perspective to the relationship. Fred Armisen of course hijacks scenes with his eccentric character, and adds an excellent level of entertaining weirdness as the neighbor who ends up becoming the drummer of the band. 

While there are sequences that feature the characters performing the songs, I should point out that this movie isn't completely a musical. The songs themselves sound enjoyable enough, but aren't exactly what I would consider truly great. That can be excused on the fact that the characters are suppose to be in an amateur garage band, but I was hoping for some really catchy tunes myself. At least they aren't horrible, and are listenable enough? I do appreciate the effort, and the obvious heart that was put into them, plus the relationship story is what you're suppose to be watching this movie for anyway. 

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the mummy 2017

Let me get this out of the way first. This movie is the first installment of a Universal monsters based shared cinematic universe, called the "Dark Universe." While this is primarily about the title character, there are plot elements introduced to the story that are essentially tied with other upcoming films related to this attempt of a cinematic universe. Some of those plot elements and characters might come off like fun easter egg world building, but it may also come off as unnecessarily distracting to the actual story at hand. The result is a movie that just does not live up to it's own ambitions. 

As a monster movie, I did like the visual effects of the mummy herself, as well as some body-dysmorphia elements. Unfortunately her mummy/zombie "henchmen" were just not as impressive. With the monsters, there is an expectation of some horror elements, and apparently all this movie is interested in are the jump-scare moments that in themselves weren't really that scary. Since this seems more intent on creating an action-adventure-fantasy than an actual scary-monster-horror movie, the movie just became yet another disposable and generally forgetful would be blockbuster. 

The characters that are played by Tom Cruise, Annabelle Wallis, Sofia Boutella, Russell Crowe, and Jake Johnson, are clearly people we are suppose to feel invested in, or at least tries to get us to feel that way. I would say that there might be a mild interest to see where those characters would end up past this movie, but the interest simply isn't that deep. Cruise and Johnson had some decent moments of entertaining humor, and Crowe seemed to enjoy hamming it up in his role, but those sense of fun simply weren't as pervasive to the rest of the movie. 

If this was at least an enjoyable action-adventure-fantasy, I could easily forgive it for not being that successful at being a proper monster movie, or horror for that matter. Sad to say, but it's just not that enjoyable as an action-adventure-fantasy, which means this movie may not be the proper starting off point for this Dark Universe of films. 

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the lovers

Just from watching the trailer, I knew that I was going to love this premise of a story. It sounds fun, and a nice twist to the whole trope that romanticizes married people cheating on each other. The movie itself does have fun with that concept, and at the same time is able to have dramatic moments that elevates the material, which includes a poignant scene involving the song "It Must Be Love" by the band Madness. I thought this movie definitely hits the landing by the end of it all, and gave reason to see it. However, it wasn't completely great all the way through.

There's a three act structure to this story, and the first act honestly wasn't that good. It seemed likable enough at first, but I found myself restless, uninterested, and a bit bored with the first act of the movie. The second act picked up tremendously and I started to have fun with the movie, but it was the third act that really sealed the deal for me. There was a particular "realness" to where the plot went in the third act that I really appreciated, and the emotional pay off was earned. 

Kudos to this small cast of characters, especially Tracy Letts and Debra Winger. Their chemistry together and the subtle comical moments they are able to create here and there, are pretty good. Despite their adulterous acts, the characters they play are well rounded and human enough, to not completely hate on their traits that you may disagree with. The rest of the cast I thought were serviceable enough; like Jessica Sula, but there is a bit of overacting found in Melora Walters, Aiden Gillen, and Tyler Ross, that can get annoying at times. 

As a relatively small scale film about relationships, there isn't too much here that makes it completely stand out. It has it's merit to justify checking it out, but ultimately that depends on how much you can tolerate the problems it does have. 

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wonder woman

Gal Gadot! If her supporting role as Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman wasn't convincing enough as proof that she is simply excellent in the role, then this movie should finalize that fact. She is great in the action sequences, she is absolutely charming in the fish-out-of-water parts of the movie, and she simply carries the role with aplomb! Gal Gadot is absolutely and easily one of the main reasons to see this film. 

Not only is Gal Gadot excellent here, but Chris Pine is also great as Steve Trevor. Wonder Woman may be the title of this movie, but Steve Trevor is just as integral to the overall story. Their chemistry together is really good, plus I enjoyed how they seem be taking turns playing the fish-out-of-water role as needed by the situation. The supporting characters overall stood out pretty well; especially Said Taghmaoui as Sameer, but the villains of the story are generally underdeveloped even though they serve their purpose to the plot as well as can be. 

The story itself is a nice mixture of different plot threads, from being the origin story of a warrior princess, the small motley band of soldiers on a dangerous mission during World War I, to the more fantastical super powered comic book heroine that's come to save the day. The story isn't exactly the most original thing around as it does have it's fair share of familiar plot tropes, but it is nevertheless well structured and fun to watch, which is thanks to Director Patty Jenkins. Some of the action set pieces found in this movie were very enjoyable to see, and there were heroic moments that just left me awestruck. The final act of the movie did feel a little overcooked though, but it also contains one of the best character moments of the whole thing. Simply put, there was a lot to like about the movie, despite some flaws. 

I should say that going into this movie, I was afraid that it could potentially get very heavy handed with it's feminism theme, which could be a distracting thing in the sense that it might just be pandering to a female audience. There were definitely some scenes that took on that subject matter, either directly, or indirectly, and either in a comedic way, or in a serious fashion. The overall conclusion there is that it wasn't that overbearing, and the feminism theme meshed well with the narrative. If it needs to be mentioned, the story is written by men after all. 

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war machine

As a fictionalized adaptation about a real U.S. General who was tasked to finish off the real war in Afghanistan, you may play the game of wondering what parts of the movie took huge liberties of what happened, and what probably did actually happen. After seeing the whole movie, you would hope that it really was all fictional, because a lot of ridiculous things are shown and said in this film that probably shouldn't happen in real life. Since this is done as a satire, I choose to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, and pray that it wasn't actually non-fiction. 

There are several scenes and lines of dialogue that I did laugh out loud at, and there are signs of cleverness found throughout this movie. There are scenes that are just tongue-in-cheek, or simply moments of poignancy that adds some insight to what goes on behind the scenes of war. It's definitely not your typical movie about the war, because it's mostly about the politics and the social commentary, as opposed to a series of action sequences; although there is one war sequence. 

The real draw to see this movie is definitely Brad Pitt as General Glen McMahon. From the way he talks, the squint in his eye, his smile, how he runs, to just the way his hand is always in a particular shape, McMahon is quite the incredible character work for Brad Pitt. The crux of the movie revolves around the things he says and does, as well as his relationships with the U.S. Government, and the different people he meets. Speaking of people, the primary cast of characters that are constantly surrounding the General, are themselves quite an entertaining bunch of men to watch for as well. 

I admire this movie to a certain degree, but it's honestly a bit of a mess as well. The pacing, editing, and narrative can feel like a bore at times, or just seemingly aimless. Just juggling some of the voice over monologue, plus the many scenes of exposition, makes the movie either too dry, or just slow moving. The flip-flopping of this movie being brilliant, to it being just uninteresting, is unfortunate. As fascinating as this film can be, it's really not for everyone's taste. 

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pirates of the caribbean : dead men tell no tales

If you have been a fan of the previous Pirates Of The Caribbean movies, or at least have some investment placed on the characters of the franchise, then go see "Dead Men Tell No Tales." It's pretty much a combination of everything good about the previous entrees, and tries to expunge itself of the things that previously didn't work. I suppose what worked or what didn't work in this series of movies are all purely subjective, but this fifth installment is arguably the second best; or probably even the best, of the whole franchise. 

In terms of the story, it undeniably feels a little convoluted, messy, and over stuffed at times. However, in the whole it still has a rather simplistic plot progression of different characters that eventually converges together into the final act. Story and logic aside, what stitches the whole thing are the action / adventure set pieces in this film. In fact, it feels like this whole movie is almost nothing but a series of back to back, grandiose action / adventure set pieces. Each of those big set pieces could easily have been the final act of a regular movie, but this one crams them all into a 129 minutes movie. Thankfully I thought each of those huge scenes were so incredibly imaginative and visually amazing, that I enjoyed every minute of this movie indulging itself with what a big budget could put on screen. 

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow is still a highlight character to keep an eye on, even though he hasn't changed that much from being this drunk buffoon of a character who manages to be lucky in very unlucky situations. If you're tired of that shtick, well this movie is just more of that. Geoffrey Rush is still a welcome sight as Barbossa, and I liked where they went with his character. Javier Bardem as Captain Salazar is awesome as the main antagonist, with how he looks, his intimidating presence, and even his cadence, all make for a very memorable character. 

For this entry, the prerequisite of it needing young actors is filled by Brenton Thwaites as Henry Turner; serviceable but doesn't really stand out that much, and Kaya Scodelario as Carina Smyth; who is interesting enough as a representation of feminism in this pirate era (that's a different kind of patronizing compared to Elizabeth Swann). 

As much as there are things to complain about with this movie, be it some of the characters, or the insane plot, or how unbelievably ridiculous things can get, I still had fun watching it. The fact that this movie is a little bit on the gonzo side of story telling is probably why I did enjoy it as much as I did. 

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baywatch

Let's be honest here, the premise of life guards doing detective work and solving crimes is absolutely ridiculous, and should not be taken seriously at all. If you want to fault the movie for being an illogical mess, then you have some ground to stand on, however I'm pretty sure it doesn't care that it doesn't really make sense. As a re-imagining of the hit TV series of the same name, Baywatch made the right choice of embracing the inherently silly premise, and set forth to just entertain us with it's comedic take of it. Did it succeed? As subjective an answer as I can give, I will say that I was definitely entertained. 

The self-aware comedic bits I thought were very entertaining. References to the original TV show like slow-motion running, to making joke set pieces of familiar plot tropes like our characters needing to go undercover, were pretty enjoyable to see. Some of the jokes were simply hit or miss. Some were laugh out loud funny. Most however were just tongue-in-cheek funny. I think this movie would have been more enjoyable if it really went for broke with it's comedy, but it seemed to want to also be the exact generic action/adventure TV show that it is making fun of, which unfortunately just gave us some comedic lulls that just slowed things down.

What really helped this movie however, are the characters. The contentious chemistry between the characters of Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron was a lot of fun to watch, and is arguably the main reason to see this movie. Jon Bass as Ronnie is also a nice surprising highlight as the primary comedic relief of the group, and his interactions with Kelly Rohrbach as CJ Parker just put a huge smile on my face. It would have been nice if the movie gave Alexandra Daddario and Ilfenesh Hadera more things to do with their characters though.

When watching Baywatch, there's a certain feeling of it being just acceptably serviceable as a comedy, which admittedly isn't that big of a compliment. The enjoyable fun factor is there, but it's not as memorably funny as it probably should have been. Despite some of the shortcomings mentioned, this cast overall is absolutely very charming to watch, and enough of an excuse to check out this movie anyway. 

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the wall

In terms of something being "cinematic," there's a lot of factors here that would suggest that this shouldn't be a movie that was released in theaters. It's set in one location, it's primarily a one man show, and the action is essentially just a person hiding behind a wall. One could argue that this should have just been a stage play instead. While the premise of the story is compelling, it does feel like it's already pretty stretched out to last a whole 81 minutes. That's not a very long run-time for a movie as it is. 

The strength of the movie relies on it's main character Sergeant Allen Isaac; played really well by Aaron-Taylor Johnson. Just having our lead character, usually talking to himself, showing signs of exhaustion, frustration, and pain, talking to a disembodied voice, is actually a good case to show that Aaron-Taylor Johnson is a pretty solid and underrated actor. The character has a very believably humanistic quality to him, that makes it a bit easier to spend all that time with him next to the wall. 

I really do like the premise of Sergeant Isaac talking to an enemy sniper through radio communication. There's a good simplicity to the conversation they both have with each other that expands greatly to our understanding of the characters. It also adds weight to the story of the movie, that already contains socially-political commentary about wars and the soldiers involved. The direction by Doug Liman makes the best of the limitations that screenwriter Dwain Worrell has given him with this story, and he is able to give us a sense of tension, as well as make us feel like we are right there with Aaron-Taylor Johnson in a real time kind of way, just trying to survive through this life and death situation. 

I'm able to admire the production of the movie for what it is, but in the end it still feels like I wanted more out of it to be a "complete" film. I don't think it's a waste of time to see it, but I guess it depends on your perspective. 

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alien covenant

There are two main questions that some people are likely going to ask first before watching this movie. The first question is on whether it's necessary to watch "Prometheus" prior to seeing this. Yes, this installment does expect you to know the events and characters from that movie, and continues the story that started there. The second question is on whether "Alien: Covenant" is a better movie than "Prometheus." I would say that it's an improvement over it. With that said, a third question would be on how much of an improvement it is.  

Let me just flat out and say that there are stupid things that happen in this movie, which definitely might annoy people. The stupidity is caused by either the characters following their emotions more than logic; which I suppose I could forgive, or there are some ridiculously unfortunate carelessness and bad luck that just had to happen for the plot; which were eye rolling inducing. There was one particular set piece that had back to back to back to back moments of carelessness, that it almost became a black comedy. Pretty sure that isn't the intentions of the movie. 

Like the previous entry, this movie is split into two different themes. Philosophy and Horror. The scenes that involve the philosophizing are rudimentary in how interesting they are, but nonetheless they do add some insight to certain characters. Some people will likely find them meandering or boring. As for the slasher horror side of things, they are mostly scenes you've already seen before, but are generally passable in how they were executed. There are some cool gruesome moments and tense scares, so that's a plus. 

The big ideas aspect of the story is something I do appreciate about this movie, and it did successfully convince me to continue the saga into the next installment. The monster movie parts are generally derivative and uninspired, but I would argue that it's always a plus to see a Xenomorph alien in it's different forms. Besides those incentives, for those who need another reason to watch this movie, I'll wholeheartedly say to go see it specifically for Michael Fassbender. Simply put, he gave me a reason to want to see the whole thing. 

- Rick & Morty - Alien: Covenant 
- Story Prologue short video : The Crossing 
- Story Prologue short video : The Last Supper 

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lowriders

It's not often I see a movie about the East Los Angeles sub-culture of Lowriders, and that alone makes this worth a look. As expected, there are scenes and dialogue focusing on what makes lowriders something to celebrate. Whether it's about the cars themselves, or it's roots to the Mexican American cultural heritage in Southern California. For people unfamiliar with the subject matter, this movie should make you appreciate what these lowriders represents, or at least interest you to what it's all about. With that said, the cars alone is only one aspect of this movie. What about the rest of it? 

Led by a good ensemble cast, from Gabriel Chavarria, Demian Bichir, Theo Rossi, Eva Langoria, and even TV's Supergirl Melissa Benoist, this movie is really about the characters more than it is about the cars. More specifically, this is about a Father and his sons, and generally it's really all about Family. Needless to say, their relationship with each other is complicated, but it's also quite a bit predictable. While the movie has a lot of inspiring and introspective things to say about the lives of these different personalities, the story and characters go in the direction that you typically expect it to go. It's unfortunate, but this film could have been more impressive and simply better if it didn't rely on several cliche plot tropes to move the story. 

Despite the shortcomings of the screenplay, I was pleasantly surprised that this movie is essentially a low-key indie family drama. Some movie goers might have expected some other kind of film, and they probably would find this boring. There are still scenes of a criminal nature mind you, but this isn't your typical inner city gangster film. One could argue that the guns and drug dealing gangs tropes are just replaced by the rivalry between car clubs and their competing lowriders instead. Still, this movie is a nice welcome change either way. 

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