friend request

There were several moments when I thought this movie was doing an excellent job creating tension, suspense, and creepiness, to build up to that eventual terrifying scare of a pay off. Like a scene where somebody is just staring at a mirror, and you know quite well that there's going to be a jump scare coming up, but it still gets you anyway. Another example would be a scene where somebody is looking through some social media posts of disturbing imagery that are able to just give you the creeps. I'll give this movie credit that it effectively gave me the creeps and the scares when it wanted to. What I won't give this movie credit on however is how it has some very stupid plot points that ruins any good will I have for it. 

As good as it is at being able to create a creepy and scary tone in this movie, the whole experience gets ruined anyway by the amount of ridiculous things that the characters do in the story. What makes it worse is that there seems to be a slight awareness that the characters know they are suppose to do the logical and smart thing, but for whatever reason, they can't. The movie literally makes idiotic excuses as to why stupid things happen, just for the sake of moving the plot along. One of the lamest things that this movie creates that bugged the heck out of me, is almost everything involving social media. The whole premise revolves around the social media part of the story, and they can't get that element correctly.

It's unfortunate that "Friend Request" had many problems, because it really did have potential. I genuinely liked the horror-mystery angle of the plot, which reminded me of Gore Verbinski's "The Ring" remake, except it wasn't able to reach that same level of quality. I actually kinda wish that a potential sequel or a reboot would happen, so that it can fix the mistakes this movie had. Those mistakes and those unbelievable things about this movie, that made watching it a frustrating chore of an experience. 

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american made

At one point in the movie, we are told that "things only get crazier." It wasn't kidding at all. If it wasn't for the fact that this claims to be based on the true story of Barry Seal, it would be easy to think that everything this movie claimed he did was simply fiction. It's all just too unbelievable for it to be true. If this movie was complete fiction, it would absolutely fail your suspension of disbelief for how crazy Barry Seal's life supposedly was. So if you weren't already familiar with the true story, then expect to find yourself gobsmacked with some of the stuff that happens in this movie. 

With all that said, this isn't a biopic, nor is it actually an accurate adaptation of what really happened. Liberties are greatly taken in telling Barry Seal's story here. Key word on "greatly." Of course not every factual details of what went down is truly revealed to the public, so it's easier to just assume that this might actually contain some truth to what happened. That's honestly what this movie is relying on though for it to be entertaining to watch. The audience needs to think that the things that is shown on screen could actually be true, and be wowed with how crazy it all is. Suspension of disbelief is key to enjoying this movie, because while the known facts are actually pretty unbelievable already, this adaptation takes things to insane levels. 

Tom Cruise does a stellar job in playing the role of Barry Seal, and it's incredible how his character is able to handle everything that is thrown at him. Well not everything runs smoothly mind you, but that positively adds to the unpredictable nature of the story. Seeing how Barry reacts to a problem, and the decisions he makes when he takes action, are what will keep you watching until the end. Barry Seal is suppose to be the "crazy white boy who delivers" after all, and as directed by Doug Liman, this movie successfully emulates that idea of him by delivering this captivating story to us. 

While a well researched documentary about Barry Seal would have arguably been more fascinating than this fictional adaptation, I appreciate the entertainment value that "American Made" was able to give us. It's a fun ride that moves at a nice pace, and gives us some fantastic twists and turns. Just take it for what it is, and you should have a good time at the movies. 

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brad's status

If you are suffering from insecurity, jealousy, regret, anxiety, depression, neediness, a mid-life crisis, or are on the verge of having a nervous breakdown, then you may not want to see "Brad's Status." On second thought, maybe you should, as it might be good for you to reflect on your own problems. For those who don't have those problems, prepare yourself to follow a protagonist who does. Either way, try and avoid the official trailer for the movie because it gives away some really huge moments from the film. 

This is a very introspective movie, that is told through the point of view of Brad; played excellently well by Ben Stiller. Just look at his face. Stiller is always able to give that facial expression of someone who is lost in his thoughts worrying about something, but trying to act cool enough to not display to the world that he is worrying about something. Compare him to Austin Abrams; who does a great job playing Brad's son Troy, who always looks so laid-back and relaxed enough. He is the perfect contrast to Stiller's character. Put actors are really good in this, and the chemistry they have with each other is spot on. 

Besides the strong cast of actors, that includes Jenna Fischer, Michael Sheen, to Jemain Clement, this movie's focus is on Brad. There is an ongoing voice over monologue to his thoughts, that does a good job hitting us over the head with the theme of the story that is Brad's anxiety about life. There are also multiple daydream sequences where he imagines positive or negative possible life scenarios, that provides moments of light hearted entertainment during the movie. Then there are the straight talk conversational scenes littered throughout the story, with some dialogue that were truly thought provoking, that will either affirm your life, or damn it. 

I suppose "Brad's Status" can be seen as a cautionary tale about what the perspectives and priorities of your life should be. I'm sure the dilemmas and anxieties that Brad puts himself in are actually quite relatable to many people, and that's the strength of this simple movie. It's very human, emotional, and powerful. 

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stronger

Based on the true story of Jeff Bauman, who was greatly affected by the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing, I was concerned that this movie was going to focus too much on that tragic day. Thankfully Director David Gordon Green focused much more on what happened to Bauman and those around him after the bombing. What we got here is a very humanistic look at how people are greatly affected by that horrible attack, for better or for worse, while toning down the jingoistic aspects of it all. 

I loved the intimate direction that this movie has. There's a lot of close up perspectives that brings us closer to the emotions of the characters. Many scenes of seemingly innocuous events like bandages being taken off, or somebody needing to use the bathroom, are allowed to linger and breath, which gives us a taste on what they are going through. A lot of scenes revolve around reactions by the characters, or conversational pieces that fleshes out the themes of the story. 

Kudos to Jake Gyllenhaal on bringing Jeff Bauman to life on screen. There's a certain complexity of conveying the fact that while there's an outer facade that Jeff is displaying to the people who look at him, there's a different emotion that he is having underneath all that. It's hard not to sympathize with his situation, and Gyllenhaal is great in making us feel that way. Juggling between being dramatic and light-hearted in certain scenes, is also something Jake Gyllenhaal was able to effortlessly pull off. 

The secret weapon of what makes this movie worth checking out though is Tatiana Maslany as Erin Hurley, who is the woman Jeff is in love with. Similar to Gyllenhaal's take on Bauman, Maslany has many different layers of emotions that she has to display on screen. In many ways, her character is even more complex, and arguably needs more sympathy than Jeff. Tatiana Maslany is phenomenal in being able to translate how the bombing has also greatly altered her life. The relationship between Jake and Erin is the cornerstone of what makes this story truly work, and this movie does a great job at it. 

As a drama with several important thematic messages, "Stronger" is rightfully a life-affirming story about tragedy, perception, survival, and hope. Powerful movie that felt very personal. Definitely worth watching. 

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the tiger hunter

There's a certain charm to this movie that I can't deny. It could be attributed to the fact that as a light hearted comedic drama, this one is filled with mostly Indian actors, plus it's co-written and directed by Lena Khan; who is also Indian. The diversity is nice. Having Danny Pudi as the leading man here is also really cool, and Rizwan Manji is great in his scene-stealing role as Babu. The movie's got a lot of heart, provides some good social commentary, it's a period piece set in the 1970s, plus the microwave also happens to be an integral part of the story. It's a pleasantly good watch. 

As much as I'm praising this film now, there was a strong chance that I wouldn't have. To put it bluntly, the first half of the movie was kinda rough. It didn't seem to know how far of a drama it wanted to be, and it also didn't know how far it wanted to take the comedy. Tonally, it seemed confused with it's own direction, mixing an endearing plot about the Tiger Hunter Father, with some comedic bits that verges on being too over the top; the scene with a girl getting drenched in water immediately comes to mind. While there were clever moments here and there, the movie still felt a bit kludgy. 

The premise of someone being a fish out of water that has aspirations in a foreign land, and is living in an apartment with his colorful room mates, does come off like just another situational-comedy. Despite the cultural bits that you don't regularly see in movies, the story itself has a lot of those sit-com derivatives, with a plot progression that is generally predictable. Even so, there is a certain comfort to watching a very familiar story, while traversing through the character story beats that we all have seen before. At around the half-way point, the movie seemed to realized that it really was just a sit-com, and worked around that fact. With that genre in mind, it turned things around, found it's footing, and gave us a delightful second half of the movie. 

You can't underestimate a movie that has it's heart in the right place. Even if it does have flaws. From wanting to write off this movie as being a mistake, to singing it's praises as a very well intentioned story that should give you a big smile at the end, "The Tiger Hunter" proved itself as a worthwhile film to check out. 

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kingsman the golden circle

If you've seen "Kingsman : The Secret Service," then you may as well watch "Kingsman : The Golden Circle." Besides being able to see what's become of the characters from the first installment, you probably also want more of those kinetic action sequences and fancy spy gadgets. From the first ten minutes, this movie already throws you straight into elaborate action sequences involving close quarters combat, and a car chase through the streets of London. Those spy toys are also very much present throughout the movie, with a particular lasso being the main weapon that you should really enjoy seeing in action. Like the previous film, there are some fun to be had. 

While this movie does have a great ensemble cast that revolves around Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Pedro Pascal, Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, Julianne Moore, to Jeff Bridges, it is still far and foremost a story that focuses on Taron Egerton's character of Eggsy. While the supporting cast do have important contributions to the story as well as some standout scenes, it's still far and away an Eggsy movie. I kinda wished it was more of a true ensemble piece though, because unfortunately some of the cast were definitely under-utilized. On another note; depending on whether you already know this singer's involvement in this production or not, there is a celebrity cameo that worked fantastically in this movie. Loved every bit of that! 

With all that said, this movie felt longer than it needed to be. Either that or this just felt like a multi-episode mini-series that was stitched together into one big movie. There are more twists and turns, more world building, more characters, and more of everything here, but it did seem like Director Matthew Vaughn was just overindulging himself. More editing would have made the movie feel tighter and more to the point, but what we got instead were scenes that seemed to be designed just to showcase another world-trotting location, or more superfluous story beats involving Eggsy as the main character. 

The story of "Kingsman : The Golden Circle" is honestly not as compelling as the "normal guy turned into super spy" premise of "The Secret Service." The introduction of the "Statesman" is the best thing this movie has to offer though, and made me appreciate the expanding world building of this franchise. Just like the previous installment however, there is yet another thematic social commentary with the story, which may or may not rub people the wrong way. 

As far as fun spy action movies are concerned, I'm glad to have "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" around. It's not necessarily breaking new grounds in the genre, nor was it flawless as a movie, but it was definitely entertaining and enjoyable to watch. 

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american assassin

I know that the book series that this is adapting from has a lot of fans, but I have to ask, can this story get any more generic? I don't know how deep or complex the Mitch Rapp series of books goes, but how is this movie adaptation suppose to stand out when it comes off as being so derivative to what's already out there? Show me something that makes "American Assassin" stand out. Whether it be some amazingly shot action sequence, or some dramatic moments that defines the strength of the characters. I didn't really get any of that. 

As an action thriller, this fills in all the necessary check points for the genre. From the gritty origin story, the globe trotting settings, the competently made action sequences, or the predictable plot tropes, everything just feels adequately mediocre. Besides a few ridiculous plot decisions that took me out of the story, this movie is technically not horrible. I couldn't call it boring as there were some excitement, and I couldn't call it uninteresting as there were some intriguing things that happen. However, it was all just so bland. 

Dylan O'Brien does fit the role of a serious, no-nonsense, lives by his own rules, action hero, but unfortunately his character doesn't really offer that much more to stand out among other action heroes in other movies. He's a little too two dimensional for my taste. Michael Keaton is a good choice as the serious, no-nonsense, lives by his own rules, mentor of action heroes, but unfortunately his character also doesn't really offer that much more to stand out among other mentors of action heroes in other movies. There were moments Keaton gets to shine "being Michael Keaton," but it only made me wish that his character was instead the main focus of this movie. Yes, there are other supporting casts of characters, but they once again don't really stand out that much. 

Maybe the other books in the series would have made a more compelling movie than the one they adapted here? Maybe this is once again one of those cases where it might have been better if this series of novels were adapted as a TV series instead? Maybe they should have just made a better movie than what "American Assassin" turned out to be? 

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mother!

"Mother!" isn't really a horror film. Although it kinda is in a way. It has a dark and foreboding tone, there are jump scares, as well as some disturbingly violent scenes, which they all admittedly fit the description of it being a horror film. So how about I just say that it definitely isn't a mainstream horror or scary movie? Either way, go into this without any preconception as much as possible, as it is easily the most WTF movie, and an experience unlike anything I've seen in 2017. It goes to some insane places. It's all just madness I tell you. Madness! 

I suppose the easiest non-spoilers description I could give this film is that it's mysterious and suspenseful. Right from the opening first minute, it immediately throws you into a sense of being on guard, and constantly guessing as to what's going to happen next. You're likely going to continue to be on guard, and to continue guessing all the way until the very end. Going through this film is like an endurance test of emotions, that ranges from bewilderment, anxiety, frustration, anger, to shock. 

One of the cinematic tricks that this movie does is that you see everything through Jennifer Lawrence's perspective. You either see what's happening over her shoulder, through her point of view, or from her facial reaction. Let's just say that it's a bit disorienting, and only adds to the sense of confusion as to what's going on. It does make it really easy to empathize with Jennifer Lawrence's character though. I should point out that Lawrence is amazing in her role here, and she brilliantly translates the emotional roller coaster that her character goes through on screen. 

This is one of those cinematic visionary works that is likely going to provoke a very divisive reaction for those who see it. Some might take issue with the themes of the movie, while others are just going to be confused as to what the theme is in the first place. Some might say that it's too opaque, while others might accuse it for being too obvious. Writer-Director Darren Aronofsky has given us an experience that demands to be talked about. Even if you watch this movie at face value as to what is just being shown on screen, you are still going to want to work through what it is you just witnessed. Fantastic work all around! 

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marjorie prime

While watching this movie, I couldn't help but notice that there's a certain blandness to the look of it. The majority of the movie is set in one family room, and there only seems to be four primary actors. It's very very heavy on just them conversing with each other, with a lot of conversation about existentialism, memories, and mortality. It's almost like I was just watching a stage play put on film. Oh wait, this is a stage play put on film! 

There are many reasons why this story should have just stayed as a stage play, with the main reason being that there isn't anything too visual and dynamic about what happens on screen. Sure there are some edits that wouldn't work as well on a live stage, but it's hardly a reason to make this into a movie. With that said, there are a lot about this movie that I can appreciate anyway, and those are the conversations, plus the thematic structure of the narrative.

This movie does try things. It's ambitious with it's ideas. It goes places in terms of the way it plays with time. It says some thought provoking things that will tickle the philosophical side of your brain. It tries to keep you from falling asleep. Yes, I liked what this movie has to say, but wow can it get quite dry and slow moving. It's still all undeniably interesting, but I would have preferred it to be more interesting than what it presented itself to be. 

I could easily just discount "Marjorie Prime" as a movie that doesn't quite reach it's goals, but I would be lying. It had something to say, and it really did manage to say it well enough. The presentation is what I have the most issue with. Thankfully, the cast in this makes the movie worth checking out. Lois Smith, Geena Davis, Jon Hamm, and Tim Robbins, are all great in this. Fantastic work! I liked the ideas of the movie. I liked the cast of this movie a lot. So I guess I liked this movie after all, despite it's flaws? Sure. 

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the trip to spain

If you've seen the previous "The Trip" movies, starring actors / comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, then you know what to expect from "The Trip To Spain." It's more or less more of the same, with the story still focusing more on their banters, impersonations, and general commentaries about random topics. The fact that it is very similar with the previous entrees shouldn't be an issue if you are already a fan of these films. That is likely what you are watching this movie for after all. I will say that this entree is arguably the best of the three so far though. 

Comedy is subjective and all, so Coogan's and Brydon's sense of humor might not be for everybody. There were some bits that were laugh out loud hilarious, while there were some that were just tongue in cheek funny, and then there were some that just fell flat. Results may vary, but this movie makes all the attempts in the world to make you laugh, so I'll give it credit for it's tenacity. For example, I may like all the Roger Moore impersonations; and that happens quite often, but others may find them tiring; because it happens so often. 

On the other side of things, it's fantastic to see the locations the two travel to, which in this case is Spain. If you've ever wanted to travel to that country, this movie will act as a nice travelogue to give you some ideas on where to go. The other aspect of the premise are the food they get to eat. While there are clips and shots of the cooking and the food themselves, it unfortunately doesn't whet my appetite enough due to the fact they don't really focus on the dishes as much as I wished they would. Why won't they give me those mouth watering close ups?! Steve and Rob make some good jokes on the expense of the food they eat however, so there's that. 

Many movies can be criticized for being repetitive, but it's hard to really fault this for doing that exact thing. There are a few plot turns that attempt to alter the repetition, but the formula still stands. If there is one huge fault that this particular movie has however, is that it arguably runs far longer than it has to. There can after all be too much of a good thing with "The Trip To Spain." 

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