only the brave

You can tell that this movie; that is based on a true story, has a lot of reverence for the Granite Mountain Hotshots. They are in fact heroes after all, and the movie doesn't make us forget that. There are scenes where characters literally proclaim out loud how they are heroes, just in case you suddenly forgot. It's a little bit too on the nose to the point of being over indulgent, but hey they make it work. The movie also goes out of it's way of hitting us over the head about how much these group of fire fighters and their families are such a tight knit-group of people, that they are able to overcome their differences and flaws, and came together as one family. Like I said, a bit too on the nose, but hey they make it work. 

As much as I said that this movie shows a lot of respect for the Granite Mountain Hotshots, this unfortunately only focuses on a few of them. Josh Brolin as the "supe" Eric Marsh, his wife Amanda as played by Jennifer Connelly, and Miles Teller as Brendan McDonough. All three actors are amazing in this though, and they hit the drama really well. Taylor Kitsch does get a good amount of attention as Christopher Mackenzie as well, but the rest of the hotshots are really just background characters. Kinda wished it was more of a true ensemble cast, but it would have been a completely different movie if they did that.

This story that features Marsh and McDonough is really good though, as it plays on the underdog themes of the characters and for the hotshots. They are the true heart of this movie, and it is very compelling, emotional, and inspirational. There's a lot to like about this story, from the aforementioned character arcs, the fire fighting scenes, and the incredible final acts. With that said, the plot progression is admittedly very familiar, predictable, and kinda emotionally manipulative. However, it was easy to just get sucked into this tale, and get wrapped up in all the reverence. I guess that's what really counts in this movie experience. 

lovedit  ENJOYED IT  itsokayitsmehitsterrible

the snowman

When watching a creepy crime mystery, there's a general expectation that you want to be able to play along. You want to uncover and solve the clues at the same time as the protagonist of this story. This movie does not really let you do that, which then becomes a frustrating mess of an experience seeing this story play out on screen. I'm sure it can be argued that the clues are being revealed to us since the first opening scene, but the way the narrative is being told here definitely does not help. 

I don't know why Tomas Alfredson directed the movie the way he did, but he really didn't do us any favors. Maybe the original novel that this is an adaptation of, was too complicated of a story to be put on film. Maybe it should have been done differently, or as a multi-episode series, because wow was this a slog of a movie. The way this film tells it's story, it's like it's purposefully being cryptic, obtuse, and inexplicable, just for the sake of wanting to confuse us.

I get that it's a mystery and all, but stringing us along through this mess of a narrative just felt obnoxious. There were moments when I was complaining about the movie having too much exposition. Then there were moments when I was complaining that there simply wasn't enough exposition. There were scenes that knew how to build up tension, with proper pacing, and good editing. Then there were scenes that didn't show any restraints, moved by too quickly, and was edited haphazardly. It was all just so infuriating to put up with this movie yanking our chain. 

Even the talents of Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, and Charlotte Gainsbourg, were generally wasted on this movie. Fassbender's character at least had some sort of proper character growth as the main protagonist, but the characters of Ferguson and Gainsbourg just felt like they were making things up as the story goes. There were actually a lot of other characters that were important to the overall story, but the movie sure as heck made me not care about what happens to them. 

"The Snowman" should have been more compelling than it actually is. Such a huge disappointment. At least the visuals and cinematography were great, but not enough to truly recommend this film. 

loveditenjoyedititsokay  IT'S MEH  itsterrible

professor marston and the wonder women

Apparently this movie seems targeted for an audience of sociologists, feminists, anthropologists, psychologists, and dare I say perverts. Oh, and yes this is also targeted for comic book fans of the Wonder Woman character. Let's not forget about mentioning that. 

For now, I say never mind all the other target audiences I mentioned, because this movie kinda does go out of it's way to hit us over the head with the Wonder Woman fan service references. There were multiple scenes that attempts to parallel it's real life events with what is found on the pages of the comic books. It was cute of the movie to do that at first, but it got a little annoying by how overboard it got. We get it, the glass toy airplane in the movie represents Wonder Woman's invisible jet. We get it, the Greek stage play fits in with Wonder Woman's origins on Paradise Island. We get it, that burlesque outfit looks like Wonder Woman's costume. Tell me something I don't get. 

With all that said, the promotional trailer does say that we "would never look at Wonder Woman the same way" after seeing this movie. Going into this film, I was aware about the whole mythos regarding the origin story of Wonder Woman's creation. The bondage thing. The whole lie detector thing. The whole polyamory thing. Even knowing about those things, I honestly now won't be able to look at Wonder Woman the same way again after seeing this movie. There is apparently more to who the character represents, and the narrative of the original comic books. So much so that I'm second guessing how well represented the Wonder Woman movie starring Gal Gadot truly is. 

Wonder Woman is only a part of what makes this story work though. You really go into this movie for the three main leads, Luke Evans as Professor William Moulton Marston, Rebecca Hall as Elizabeth Marston, and Bella Heathcote as Olive Byrne. The chemistry that these three actors displayed on screen is palpable. The conversations and observations they had with each other were fascinating. The trials and tribulations they faced together in life were engrossing. They are the real reason to watch this movie, and wow did they have an incredible story to tell us. From their innocent beginnings, to the very complicated end, it was hard not to get caught up with what's happening with William, Elizabeth, and Olive. 

Although this is based on a true story, it should be pointed out that Writer-Director Angela Robinson apparently took a lot of liberties with the actual true story. Or so we are told. Fact vs fiction aside, the story as it was shown to us on screen is still a really good one. It also shared some very important social commentaries and themes that are worth the time to be exposed to. I did have some issues with certain plot points that seemed a little too convenient, but overall I liked most everything I saw here. 

The mere presence of Wonder Woman might make one think that "Professor Marston and the Wonder Women" is a simple biographical movie about the character's creator. It's really not that simple, and this film is really not for everybody. I can see this rubbing some people the wrong way. If people can avoid automatically dismissing this movie with some misguided preconceptions, they might come off it appreciating the message this film is trying to relay to all of us. 

lovedit  ENJOYED IT  itsokayitsmehitsterrible

victoria and abdul

It's easy for me to recommend this movie just for the simple fact that Dame Judi Dench is playing the role of Queen Victoria here. As the cantankerous Queen of the United Kingdom and the Empress of India, Dench is absolutely a delight to watch on screen. There is quite a bit of fun to see Judi Dench exert her authority over everybody, but at the same time look somewhat bored in doing so. She's not always angry and yelling at people here though, as there are brilliant quiet scenes where she gets to show her more gentler side, that should hit you on the emotional level. 

If Dame Judi Dench is not enough, then let me introduce you to Ali Fazal as Abdul Karim. A general nobody in India, to accidentally becoming a teacher for the Queen. Fazal absolutely owns the role, and is quite the scene-stealer. He is charming in many ways, and also in how he seems to be genuinely happy at being able to stay at the Royal palace, and to serve the Queen. There is that certain innocence that Al Fazal is able to relay to us that is just enjoyable to see. Abdul Karim does share the narrative of this story with Queen Victoria, but the moments we see the story play out through his eyes are pretty entertaining. 

As for the story itself, although it is based on historical facts, the movie itself admits that it takes a lot of liberties. Some movie goers will take issue with how the Queen is portrayed in certain aspects, as well as Abdul Karim for that matter. As Directed by Stephen Frears, there is a specific type of story that he wants to tell here, and he isn't afraid to distort the truth a little bit in service of the movie, and of the characters. I admit that I myself had issues with certain plot points and character portrayals in the story, but I was able to look past the faults for the strength of what I was being shown. 

The movie tackles the friendship between the Queen and Abdul in a very nice way, and is at the heart of this story. I liked how the movie touched on the topics about the cultural differences, the systematic ways of how people are suppose to behave around the Queen, the push and pull between the Royal household and the Queen, plus of course the topic of racism. This movie covers a good amount of themes, and while it wasn't all perfect, I will have to say that it was to the betterment of the movie. It's also highly amusing in many different ways, and that also helps makes it really entertaining to watch "Victoria and Abdul." 

lovedit  ENJOYED IT  itsokayitsmehitsterrible

the foreigner

If you're looking for the usual light-heartedness and humor found in a Jackie Chan movie, you're not going to find it here. This is pretty much a straight up serious thriller, involving terrorist bombings, and about people with loved ones that have been taken away in tragically violent ways. There are also some political aspects to the story, as well as some commentary on strained relations between different cultures, that gives this movie that extra bit more depth. 

Of course besides all the underlying themes and messages that this movie covers, you're really watching this movie for the action sequences. There are action scenes in this Jackie Chan movie that are exciting to see, but they are a little bit more grounded, not as over the top, and not as choreographically elaborate as some of his other works. I should point out that this is not exactly a non-stop action movie, but they are peppered throughout to keep things lively. Those fight scenes are still entertaining to watch at least, and Jackie Chan is always good at playing the underdog and underestimated hero against huge odds really well, which I really like.

Admittedly, just based on the premise alone, this sounds like it's just another throwaway action thriller. In many ways it really is. However as directed by Martin Campbell, he was able to elevate the movie a little bit above just being another throwaway action thriller, by giving it some dramatic weight. I also appreciated that this movie actually makes some effort to acknowledge that these are not just nameless people who die in these movie explosions, and that resonates well to the urgency of the characters.

Watching Pierce Brosnan and Jackie Chan in the same movie is a delight. While Jackie Chan is good at what he does in the action category, Pierce Brosnan carries the movie really well in the more dramatic parts. “The Foreigner” isn't the most original film around and is generally a conventional entree into the action thriller genre, but see it for the two strong leads, and for its condemnation against terrorist acts. 

loveditenjoyedit  IT'S OKAY  itsmehitsterrible

happy death day

What do you get when you mash-up a slasher film, a mean girl as the main character, and a fantasy element a la 1993's "Groundhog Day?" You get "Happy Death Day." Quick aside... I know it sounds corny, but I have to admit that it's a clever word play movie title. Now, just from the trailer alone, you can already tell where the movie is going. Multiple death scenes. The mean and horrible girl learns a lesson about being a mean and horrible girl. The expected tropes involving our main character reliving the same day, over and over again. You basically should know what to expect when watching this movie. 

As a legitimate slasher film, this is just serviceable. While there are a couple of acceptably constructed tense scenes that leads to a jump scare, the whole movie isn't exactly scary. Nor does it have a lot of jump scares in the first place. In fact, I rather liked the tameness of it all. Half of the scenes involving the attacker also contains humorous moments, which I appreciated. The whole mystery of who the attacker could be, is also a big chunk of the entertainment factor with this movie. 

The mean girl of this story is Tree Gelbman; yes her name is actually "Tree," and as predictable as it instantly is, you can guess what her story arc is going to be in this movie. That part of the story is probably my least favorite aspect, because it's a plot trope that I'm frankly a little tired of already. Luckily and surprisingly, Tree is played by Jessica Rothe who does a terrific job in the role! She has to go through a lot of emotions here, but where I think she really shines is when she shows us a little bit of self-awareness to how crazy the premise of the movie is. 

Now combine Jessica Rothe and the "Groundhog Day" idea, and we've got a winning formula for me here. The whole "repeat the same day over and over again" is a story premise that I'm a huge fan of. While it's been done many different times, and many different ways, I'll never get tired of it. So yes that in itself gives this movie an edge to gain my favor already. It's not as creative or as ambitious as other films who have also used this idea, but it gets the job done. 

What kinda puts a damper on "Happy Death Day" for me is that, while I liked the premise and the lead actress, this film doesn't really offer anything truly substantial to make it really stand out among a huge crowd of similar movies. There are also moments of plot conveniences that took me out of the movie, which I wished wasn't the case. Overall, it's more or less just a diversion of a genre film that isn't as memorable as it should be. 

loveditenjoyedit  IT'S OKAY  itsmehitsterrible

chasing the dragon

After watching this film, it felt like I watched a thirteen parts TV series that was just compressed into a two hours movie. As a biographical tale based on the true story of "Crippled Ho," there's a lot that happens in this movie that covers multiple years worth of story. Yet it still tried to cram all that into a feature length film. Did it succeed in condensing all that material into a satisfying narrative? Yes and No. 

I suppose the important thing about this movie is that it gets the point of the story across, and in many ways it did. I may wish that it would have elaborated on certain plots introduced in the story more, but I did in fact comprehend the overall story of what happened, and that seems to be all that Writer-Director Jing Wong is truly concerned about. Because of how it just goes through all that story in a short time frame though, it did feel like I was just watching a plot summary, as opposed to this epic crime drama that it tries to be. I dare say that an extra 40 - 60 minutes would have been welcome. 

For those unfamiliar with the corruption found in Hong Kong during the 60s and 70s, which involved law enforcement, drug dealers, the British colonial rule, this movie should be a decent introduction to that interesting era in time. That setting is really more a backdrop to the characters of Crippled Ho; played by Donnie Yen, and Lee Rock, played by Andy Lau. The camaraderie of this powerful drug lord and the influential Chief Detective Sargeant, is what's truly at the core of this movie. The way this film depicts their relationship does work more or less, but once again without further expositions and elaborated plot details, I truly only cared about them in superficial levels. 

Although the final execution of "Chasing The Dragon" wasn't as ideal as I hoped it would be, it was still an entertaining movie, with some good action sequences. By far though, the performance of Donnie Yen alone should be worth checking this out. Plus it's hard to deny that the true story this film is based on is definitely fascinating to be exposed to nonetheless. 

loveditenjoyedit  IT'S OKAY  itsmehitsterrible

the mountain between us

The story about three strangers, who survive a plane crash on a remote mountain, and then have to resolve to help each other to make it through this ordeal, isn't exactly a unique premise. There is always something fascinating about seeing people dealing with a life or death situation, that brings out the truth about them. This movie is no exception, and to see how they handle things, whether it's physical or personal, is the drive of this story.

Oh, if you're somehow wondering why I said "three" strangers and not "two" at the beginning of this review, it's because I'm counting the dog. To my pleasant surprise, the dog is an integral part of the story, and isn't just there for show. Speaking of "show" though. There were moments where I thought the dog actor wasn't "acting" the way I believe he should have acted, especially during the more tense situations. Thankfully I can easily forgive him, because it's just too adorable to see a dog hopping through thick snow. But enough about the dog already. 

I admit that it does seem a little convenient that the two human characters who have to survive the whole thing together, happens to be a doctor, and an inquisitive head strong person. I suppose those needed to be what defined the characters though, because it works with the theme of the story. Speaking of which! The story itself is fine. It's good even. Unfortunately as I implied earlier, there are multiple plot conveniences that can be found here. It was easy to suspend my disbelief at some of these questionable plot points that were there just to create tension and excitement, but they were still a little too convenient for my taste.

There is also a major plot point that happens in this movie which will test you on how much you are still committed to this story and it's characters. To be honest, it kinda did ruin things a little bit for me. But not too much. Thankfully, the two primary actors are great in their roles. Idris Elba and Kate Winslet are pretty good in this, and their chemistry together is just excellent. Those two actors; plus the dog, made the trip to the movies to see this worth it enough for me, despite my issues with it. Oh, and the beautiful locations helps a lot as well.  

loveditenjoyedit  IT'S OKAY  it'smehitsterrible

blade runner 2049

I got to hand it to Director Denis Villenueve, because as a sequel to the 1982 sci-fi noir classic, he could have easily gone for a more action oriented take on the franchise. Something very much targeted for a "mainstream crowd." Nope! Not so much. Taking a cue from the previous entry, this is a moody, atmospheric, intriguing, visually stunning, methodically paced movie, that luxuriously allows scenes to just naturally breath, so that movie goers can get sucked into it's world. At least that seems to be the intentions. 

This is very much what I would call an artsy high-brow science-fiction film. This will not be for everyone's liking and tastes. Some will call it slow and boring. Others will call it pretentious and indulgent. While there will also be those that will simply say that it's overrated. I however, I actually liked it quite a bit. I found it to be very compelling, and I was hooked into the general mystery of the premise. I wanted to see where the story was going, and how it was going to resolve itself. The 163 minutes run-time didn't even feel long to me at all, and I thought it actually justified itself for it's excessive length. 

I'll concede that it's not the be-all end-all of sci-fi cinema though. The story seems mysterious and complicated, but it's actually a lot more straight forward than I thought it would be. It's overall thematic goal of the narrative isn't really that ambitious either, and calls back to very familiar story tropes. Plot holes. It has obvious unexplained plot holes. Unless there's a future Director's cut that will fill in those gaps. Oh, and there's that final act. I didn't really like how the final act of the story went down. 

Despite the issues I have with the movie, I wasn't kidding when I said that I was hooked throughout the film. The main reason for that is mostly because of Ryan Gosling, and the character he plays. I was heavily invested with this Blade Runner that certain people refer to as "K." I actually sympathized with his station in life, and wanted to see how he was going to go through this experience. I also found his relationship with Ana De Armas' character to be very compelling, and arguably the most fascinating aspect of "K's" story. Fantastic work by both actors! 

While "Blade Runner 2049" isn't exactly a traditionally fun movie, I would still argue that it is still an entertaining visionary work that needs to be experienced. Speaking of vision, beside Gosling and De Armas as motivation to watch this, the other primary reason to see this movie is for the cinematography work by Roger Deakins. Absolutely beautiful work on the visuals! I couldn't keep my eyes off the screen. Of course, if you've seen the original Blade Runner movie, I shouldn't have to convince you to check this sequel out. 

lovedit  ENJOYED IT  itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Also watch these three prequel short films before watching Blade Runner 2049. It's good exposition to be exposed to.... 
- "Black Out 2022" Anime Short  
- "2036: Nexus Dawn" Short 
- "2048: Nowhere to Run" Short

battle of the sexes

Although there are people who would argue about how accurate this is to the true story that it is based on, the actual truth of the matter is that this is an entertaining movie either way. That's what counts right? It's a nice light-hearted tale about a female tennis player at the top of her game, and a male tennis player who is well pass the sports retirement age. The two lead personalities go head to head here for our amusement. There's an inspiring story to learn from; although it can be a little too on-the-nose at that. Plus the tennis match at the final act of the movie is spectacular to see play out. While there is a good enough attempt to equally shine the spotlight on both Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, this is more so about the former, more than the latter.

Steve Carell is excellent as the self-proclaimed misogynistic retired tennis great with a gambling problem. There's also a subtle but three dimensional take on Riggs that I really appreciated, which keeps him from just being some typical antagonist for this story. Emma Stone is also quite excellent as the female tennis pro who is publicly fighting for equal treatment for women, who also happens to be juggling with some personal issues. Due to the multi-story arcs that Billie Jean has in this story, there is definitely more things for Emma Stone to do here, which justifies why this movie really does focus on her more than what the marketing is suggesting. 

While there are shades of this being a biopic, the Direction by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, keeps it from feeling too dry and stale. This story has a beginning, middle, and end. It all feels more like a standard fictional story, rather than a by-the-numbers adaptation of true events. That's not a bad thing, and is to this movie's benefit. This journey that Billie Jean goes through is quite compelling, and is simply the driving factor to this narrative. I myself felt very invested with where the story was taking me, and I really liked how Emma Stone was able to portray Billie Jean King. Very sympathetic. Very inspirational. 

lovedit  ENJOYED IT  itsokayitsmehitsterrible