the little hours

It's easy to call "The Little Hours" as nothing more than pure shock value, showcasing depravity and outrageousness by the characters of this story; in particular three Nuns from a convent in Italy. Needless to say, it's very blasphemous. The Catholic League has even said that this movie "is trash, pure trash," and there is some truth to that. Just watch the trailer, and you can see that this is absolutely not for everybody. If you however are open to having a twisted sense of humor, then this movie might just be for you. 

Based on one of the stories found in "The Decameron," this movie highly leans towards the farcical type of satirical comedy. From Italian characters who don't even speak or look Italian, to an excessive use of vulgarity, sex, nudity, to character mannerisms and actions that seem more fitting for modern times. Once again let me remind you that I'm describing things that are mostly found in the setting of a convent in Italy during the Middle Ages. There will be those who will find this movie highly offensive, and then there are those who will enjoy the humor of this crazy premise. Then there are also those who will appreciate the social commentary subtext that this movie does have. 

The story does admittedly go in places that seem almost designed to make it awkward and uncomfortable for the viewer to keep watching. Of course it's all in the context of the movie just trying to get you to laugh. If you share it's sense of humor that is. The writing for the jokes is one thing, but the delivery by the cast is what really makes this movie. Audrey Plaza, Kate Micucci, Alison Brie, Dave Franco, John C Reilly, Nick Offerman, and the rest, are all simply excellent in this movie. Out of all the characters though, I think it's Kate Micucci as Sister Ginerva that goes on the journey you're going to want to keep an eye on the most. 

I'll give this movie a lot of credit for even being made. Some of the scenes of this movie are so blatantly stupid, that you have to just laugh. There are still some scenes that are admittedly just stupid, so there's that too. Either way, I found this to be a rather fun watch, despite it's blatant outrageousness just for that cheap laugh. Just don't take it too seriously, and you too might just have a good time with it. 

lovedit  ENJOYED IT  itsokayitsmehitsterrible

the big sick

If you're familiar with me, you should know that I'm a big fan of movies about relationships and love. The problem with that genre however, is that really good stories about relationships and love don't come very often. Most of them tend to lean more towards the unbelievable, plot convenient, idealized directions when it comes to the subject matter. Then there are some stories that make it much too dramatic and very real, that it can also alienate an audience into completely connecting with the depicted relationship.

Along comes "The Big Sick," that combines a good level of believability, humor, and unconventional take, to it's relationship and love story, that it completely won me over with how much I was invested with the couple. Not only that, but it's based on the real life story of the movie's writers; Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V Gordon, on how they ended up together. Kumail does get to play himself in the movie, while Zoe Kazan does a great job playing the role of Emily. Some liberties were taken of course, to add to the cinematic version of the truth. It was the right choice, because wow where there some great scenes in this movie. 

Kumail is also a stand-up comic in real life; as he is in the movie, and it shows. The way comedy and humor is peppered throughout the whole story; even during the big dramatic moments, is masterfully done. The jokes land more often than not, and several of them are absolutely hilariously memorable. While it's heavy on the comedy, this is also very strong on the dramatic side, especially considering what happens halfway through the movie. Like the jokes, the drama, dilemmas, and struggles, feels authentic and very sympathetic, that it should only strengthen how much you should care for these characters. As a "dramedy," I admit that it was successfully able to give me the combo reaction of making me shed tears and making me laugh out loud. 

Besides the excellent screenwriting work by Kumail and Emily, I feel that Director Michael Showalter deserves a lot of credit of being able to balance the tone of this movie, from the comedy to the drama. It also helped that it has a great cast, from leads like Kumail, Zoe, Ray Romano, and Holly Hunter, and the supporting cast like Anupam Kher, Zenobia Shroff, and Adeel Akhtar. The way these characters interacted with each other brought a lot into the stories, even if some of those scenes felt innocuous. This is a fully developed story, that it made me want to see past the credits once the movie was over. Luckily, you can see where the couple's story went past the movie, as they are real people. 

Is it too early for me to proclaim that "The Big Sick" is going to go down as one of the great movies about relationships and love in movie history? Maybe. But it really does have a strong case for that title though. 

LOVED IT  enjoyedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

the beguiled

Can I just say that this movie was not for me? I really felt like I was very much not the target audience for this. It seemed the film achieved what it wanted to achieve, so I can't really say I fault the decisions made in making this. It is after all a re-imagining of the 1971 film that starred Clint Eastwood, which itself is based on the 1966 novel by Thomas P Cullinan. It terms of adapting the original source materials, Director Sofia Coppola captured that civil war era atmosphere of the South, and tackled the subject matter of the story pretty well. 

Why do I say this is not for me then? I suppose the title of the movie explains it. The definition of "Beguiled" is someone charmed or enchanted by deceptive ways. That is essentially the movie's premise. You've got a house full of females, and one male. If this was a sex comedy, then you can already guess what would happen. Since this is not a sex comedy, let's just say that what happened isn't exactly humorous. There is however a lot of flirting, jealousy, crushing, and suspiciousness going on, which is what frustrated me about the movie. 

The plot of having Colin Farrell's character try and charm the women of the household into getting his way, plus those women themselves trying to get his attention to get their way, was frankly frustrating for me. The movie could argue that it does so to build all that tension into the eventual climax of the story, plus the whole cast themselves are all greatly deserving of our attention. I don't disagree with those points. The suspense brought by the tension is done well enough, and the whole cast are good, Even so, I still wanted the 93 minutes movie run-time to be shorter. 

Maybe if the movie was a bit more out there, or went even farther than it did, I probably would have liked it more. For the most part, it was surprisingly more reserved in it's shock value than the premise would let on. Should have went all out with the subject matter. 

loveditenjoyedititsokay  IT'S MEH  itsterrible

spider-man homecoming

I'll say this up front, "Spider-Man: Homecoming" does not have the gravitas of "Logan," the fantastical creativity of "Guardians Of The Galaxy volume 2," the cultural phenomenon that "Wonder Woman" became, or even the ambitions of 2004's "Spider-man 2." It still generally follows the familiar tone of a comic book movie, and shares the entertainment factor that is usually found in a Marvel Studios film. What it does do however, is give us the best live action Spider-Man movie so far. 

For comic book nerds out there, this version of Spidey does take many liberties to the mythology, as well as get creative with the supporting cast of characters. They work really well in this movie though! I like Peter's best friend, who adds some nice comedic moments to his scenes. I like his interactions with Happy Hogan and Tony Stark, which I'm sure many teenagers will find very relatable. I like the main antagonist in Michael Keaton, who brings a little extra something to what is technically yet another typical super villain. I also like the other additional casts played by Marisa Tomei, Zendaya, Tony Revolori, and even Donald Glover in his brief appearances. Not only that, but the Spider-man suit becomes an awesome character in the movie itself!

Despite not being completely faithful to the original source material, it still manages to capture the spirit of what it must be like for a 15 Year old to suddenly have superpowers, and how the adults he is trying to impress are still treating him like a kid (because he is). This movie does not shy away from reminding us that Peter Parker is still very fresh as a superhero, and he is prone to do careless things as an inexperienced teenager might do. Even so, this is how I imagined Spider-Man to be, with his penchant for making jokes, his guts in trying to get things done, his social misfit status, plus just overall his inability to properly balance out his life as a High School teenager and a crime fighting superhero. 

Tom Holland is Spider-Man!!! That's the best and most important element that the movie has to overcome first. Then it has to craft a story around him that's entertaining enough to keep our attention, and charm us with funny scenes plus heroic action sequences. As Directed by Jon Watts, "Spider-Man: Homecoming" succeeds in all that! It was able to give us a lot of content to chew on; that I'd rather not spoil, but it still knew to be thematically realistic with it's ambitions. It doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, or pioneer a new type of superhero movie, but it knew how to be an enjoyably fun time at the movies. 

LOVED IT  enjoyedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

okja

Without any doubt, this is a movie that PETA can wholeheartedly get behind. In fact I think they are already using this movie in their messaging. Now depending on your point of view, I get that saying this fact might just turn some people off from watching this. I only mention it because the messaging about animal rights is heavy handed, and quite manipulative at times. That is probably my main issue with this film, in that it blatantly favors one point of view. With that said however, I found this movie to be absolutely wonderful! 

The crazy madcap imaginative visionary work of Director Bong Joon-Ho is very much front and center here. This is a story about a young girl and her pet "super-pig," a heist movie about rescuing said creature, as well as a social commentary about animal rights. From a country setting, the streets of a major city, to a parade in a city of a foreign land, there is also quite an adventure tale here, not unlike the quests you would find in a fantasy film. The story may be mixed with thought provoking real world issues, but it does have that feel of a fable as well, which works really well with the presence of that CG animal. 

Okja herself is quite the impressive CG creature in the movie, that I think every animal lover out there will really fall in love with. The chemistry that the young girl; Mija, has with Okja is also simply fantastic. The amazing young girl herself; as played by Ahn Seo-Hyun, is somebody you can't help but root for. The rest of the cast themselves, from Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, and an over the top Jake Gyllenhaal, are all very entertaining to watch too. Well, Gyllenhaal's performance might be too over the top for some people's tastes. 

Another thing that impressed me about this movie, is that it expertly interchanges Korean and English dialogue into the script. The fact there are two languages used in this film actual adds really well into the world building, as well as an important element of the plot itself. The movie's funny moments are also great, ranging from broad comedy, clever lines, to black humor. "Okja" seriously throws a lot of elements into the premise, and gives us an unforgettable experience that can likely be found in someone's insane dream. 

lovedit  ENJOYED IT  itsokayitsmehitsterrible

the house

The problem with this movie, is that after seeing it, you might be tempted to create your own illegal underground casino. Recreating what was done in the film is not entirely possible, and that in itself pushes your suspension of disbelief for the movie. Believability aside, I thought the premise is actually quite entertaining, and I found it very fun seeing how the lead characters builds up the casino in outrageous ways. I would say that most everything that worked in this movie involved the casino, while everything else around it didn't work quite as well. 

Needless to say, everything that happens in this movie are played for laughs. Whether you laugh or not is one thing, but I would broadly say that I thought at least half of the jokes worked on me. It also felt like they opted to write the comedy by choosing whatever random joke worked for them at a given moment during filming, which resulted in that hit or miss ratio. That haphazard method of comedy writing also seemed to apply to the story telling, as it all seems to come together very loosely, and it didn't help that they tried to add more plot elements than is necessary. 

Doing outrageous and broad comedy is something you expect from Will Ferrell, and this is no exception. I thought he was enjoyable to watch either way. Amy Poehler was also quite entertaining, and her chemistry with Ferrell helped carry how much you would care for the couple. Arguably the MVP of the cast is Jason Mantzoukas, who adds a different but awesome kind of witty humor to compliment Ferrell and Poehler. 

Despite several things about "The House" that I didn't like; which is most everything not involving the casino, along with the lead cast, there were a lot of comedy bits that saved the movie for me. Without revealing spoilers... town hall meeting, slow-mo sequences, fight night, the Butcher, someone on fire, slippery floor, and several more. Between stupidity that made me do a face palm, to stupidity that made me laugh out loud, this movie wasn't great but also wasn't completely terrible. 

loveditenjoyedit  IT'S OKAY  itsmehitsterrible

despicable me 3

I'm not sure if the shtick that is the Despicable Me franchise; or the Minions for that matter, is just not able to offer anything worthwhile anymore, or maybe it's simply the fact that this third installment is just a swing and a miss. This is all besides the fact that I thought it had a lot of potential with it's premise too. It's just unfortunate that it ended up being quite a bit disappointing. 

I do like the plot ideas for the story though. Gru loses his job as a good guy, and then the surprising arrival of his twin brother tries to convince him to be a villain again. There's also a plot line about Lucy trying to figure out how to be a Mom to Gru's adopted kids. Plus the Minions want to go back to villainy, with humorous results. Oh, and then there's that 80s child actor who became an 80s themed super villain too. All those elements definitely look good on paper, but unfortunately this movie wasn't able to translate all that into a fully entertaining experience. 

Story aside, I wanted to at least enjoy the comedic side of things. There were definitely a lot of jokes in this movie, whether it's based on satire, sight-gags, or clever lines, but I probably only genuinely laughed less than a handful of times. A lot of the humor were very sophomoric or just simply uninspired. Actually the sophomoric jokes may have been done that way on purpose, but it still doesn't matter if I didn't find them funny. Some of the comedic ideas may have been inspired in some way; like putting the Minions in prison, but even so they just didn't feel like they tried hard enough to make them great ideas. 

There are things I did like about the movie though, like the "cheese festival" bits, the super villain car, the heist sequences, and the character of Lucy who I was really rooting for in this movie. There really was potential for "Despicable Me 3" to be fun to watch, but when the end credits sequence showed us what the movie should have actually been about, then you know they could have made a better animated film than what we got. 

loveditenjoyedititsokay  IT'S MEH  itsterrible

baby driver

The opening sequences of this movie shows you there and then that this is going to have a very specific style and feel to it. The action of the characters and the way the movie is edited, directly parallels the beats and mood of the soundtrack. Most everything is synced up with the music and songs, which means that you are either somebody who is going to really like that this movie is doing that, or you will be annoyed as heck.

Ansel Elgort lip syncing to a song, or drumming on the steering wheel to the beat, or dancing along to the music while doing an errand of getting coffee. Is that something you'd enjoy? How about the sound of gun fire that is synced up to the "Tequila" song? Maybe songs that have the name "Baby" or "Debora" on it, because two characters are named that in the movie? Are those the kind of things you'd like? I thought the whole conceit of this directing style is pretty clever actually, but I can understand if that's not for everybody. 

If that mixture of visuals to the soundtrack does scare you a little, don't worry because the whole movie is not like that; although I personally wished it was all like that. To tell you the truth, I didn't think the whole soundtrack was as great as I hoped it would be, even though there are some excellent choices of songs in there. With all that said, that's not the only thing worth mentioning in this movie, because there are some excellent chase sequences in this film that are most definitely worth seeing, and were quite exhilarating. It's not even all just car chases either, because there is a chase scene on foot that was quite exciting as well. 

I thought the whole cast were generally really good in this, from Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, to Eiza Gonzalez. There were shades of their characters seemingly being a little one note of just being specific archetypes, but this is an Edgar Wright movie so it isn't that simple. I liked all the characters they played, and the chemistry they all had with each other was just excellent. The bits of them bantering, and the funny lines that were said, were all just entertaining overall. 

Although I did mention that this movie is very stylish in a fresh way, the story itself isn't that far off from what you've seen before. It's not completely following a familiar plot formula to a tee, as there are some surprises, so it's not exactly that derivative either. Despite the cool directing style, the fact that it's not a completely unique experience kinda disappointed me a bit. Maybe I expected more than I should have with "Baby Driver," but either way it is undoubtedly worthy of your time to check out. 

lovedit  ENJOYED IT  itsokayitsmehitsterrible

beatriz at dinner

#isawthatmovie

This is a simple movie predominantly set inside a luxury home, with a small cast, that usually revolves around the characters conversing with each other, and dreamlike shots of cinematography. With that said, this unabashedly jumps into the fray that is the never ending discourse between the liberal democrats and the conservative republicans. It's not ashamed to choose sides either, as it swings heavily on the liberal point of view, and that in itself will alienate most movie goers. 

So what we got here is a story that's content in patronizing to a specific audience that shares it's ideals, and also wants to lecture another set of audience about the errors of their ways. I admit there are some subtlety of showing some shades of grey on each side, but it's also arguably too subtle in many regards. Manipulative is one way to describe this movie, and the characters end up being shallow caricatures on who they represent, that doesn't get to offer anything really insightful about the ideologies that they bring up short of a superficial level. 

The cast is good in this though, in particular Salma Hayek and John Lithgow. Yes they lean quite a bit into exaggerated portrayals of what a liberal hollistic Mexican immigrant and what a white billionaire mogul that hunts for fun might be, but they were fascinating to watch together, so there's that. Even though Hayek and Lithgow made the movie more enjoyable to watch, the film occasionally purposefully throws in some questionable plot turns that are suppose to be thought provoking, but instead only comes off as pretentious. The whole premise of the film could have genuinely been interesting to watch, but unfortunately it all just ends up obnoxious. 

loveditenjoyedititsokay  IT'S MEH  itsterrible

the hero

Who doesn't like Sam Elliott right? Even in a movie that is inherently derivative, about a selfish, generally forgotten actor, who is reexamining his life, Sam Elliott's quietly effective performance; plus that incredible voice of his, should keep your attention either way. Yes the premise is a bit on the derivative side and you can likely predict where the plot is going, but the meditative tone, pacing that takes it's time, some understated but beautiful scenes, and the subject matter itself, makes this movie worth checking out. 

With Sam Elliott at the lead as Lee Hayden, the small cast in this is very good. Nick Offerman as Jeremy Frost adds a nice bit of comedy and lightheartedness into this movie, but also allows Elliott to toss in a few bits of jokes as well. Laura Prepon as Charlotte Dylan is fantastic as this woman Lee gets involved with, and she adds that bit of spark and energy into the story in a very welcome way. Offerman and Prepon however are basically there for Sam Elliott to bounce off of, which allows him to display some excellent acting in several of the best scenes of this movie. 

The poignancy of the story and the character of Lee Hayden, and the chemistry he has with the other characters, are what carries this movie through and through. Despite the heavy subject matter, it's not a completely dour movie, as it knows when to integrate a bit of fun into the equation, like this joke that got the biggest laugh for those familiar with Sam Elliott's career. It's not the most flashy of movies to watch, nor is it the most original, but it has a lot of heart with a strong emotional base of a theme, and absolutely kept my attention throughout the whole thing; even when it meandered a bit.

lovedit  ENJOYED IT  itsokayitsmehitsterrible