i tonya

It's the night of Christmas Day, and I'm still a bit on a vacation mood. Apologies yet again, but I'll get back to you on a review for this movie sooner than later.

the post

if you're reading this,..... Merry Christmas!!! Apologies, but I'm taking advantage of the holiday for a bit, so this review for "The Post" will be written up at a later time. It won't be too long though (unlike those other reviews...). 

the greatest showman

You would be forgiven if you decided not to watch "The Greatest Showman," due to the fact that while it proclaims to be inspired by a true story, it greatly seems to be rewriting history by making it more palatable. There are many out there that don't think too favorably to what P.T. Barnum did in his life time, and this movie seemingly wants to ignore most of that. There's also the whole subject about people getting exploited for profit to consider, and this story just gives a lightly serviceable take on that matter. Without a doubt, this film can be accused of being yet another fake Hollywood take of actual history.

The story is filled with tons of derivative cliches, a bit emotionally manipulative in multiple occasions, and it's important thematic messages are handled in very superficial ways. Now let's ignore all that for a second and judge this purely as a movie musical. Well just based on the first act, I was ready to dismiss it as being much too bombastic, over-produced, unnecessarily too flashy and loud. It seemed a little too full of itself and I wanted it to take things down a notch. To my surprise, it actually did just that, and then I started to genuinely have fun with it. 

One of the main saving graces of this movie musical is the soundtrack. The songs are catchy! Sure the topics cover your typical fare of being inspirational, self-affirming, uplifting, and emotionally moving. Did I mention that they are all pretty catchy? It helps that the majority of the cast actually sings their songs too! Combine all those songs to some very well choreographed sequences, and we've got ourselves a movie that does indeed work as a musical. 

Besides the songs, the other element that absolutely wowed me was the whole cast. Yes, Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Zendaya, and Keala Settle, are all already known to be talented song and dance people, and they get to show off their craft on screen rather well. However, I was also highly impressed with everybody else in the supporting cast roles, from the rest of Barnum's circus-folk, the bartender, to even the daughters. I'm willing to re-watch this movie just for the song and dance scenes alone. 

There are clearly issues with "The Greatest Showman" of being uneven in it's overall quality as a story and as a movie, but I still can't deny that I ended up liking it anyway. The highs this movie musical has are pretty high, and that made a difference to me. So even though there are enough reasons not to support this film, you would be forgiven if you did anyway. 

loveditenjoyedit  IT'S OKAY  itsmehitsterrible

downsizing

A huge chunk of the film's beginning revolves around the reveal of this breakthrough scientific procedure called "downsizing." Then it proceeds into how it effects the world. How it's affecting the economy, the importance of helping the planet, "normal sized" people having prejudicial thoughts about the "small sized," the places where people who took the "downsizing" procedure lives, etc. All of that was great.

Just the social political and cultural discussions about downsizing were highly interesting. The premise is just all so infinitely fascinating. Here's the thing though. All of that happened during the first two acts of the movie; when our characters were still "normal sized." Go figure, but those are the best parts of this story. Once the act of downsizing actually happens, that's where the premise starts showing the problematic cracks surrounding the logic behind this concept. 

I think it doesn't help that this movie also kinda feels too self-important. Don't get me wrong, the main thematic messages that this story is trying to relay to us is admirable and laudable, but somehow it all falls a little flat. It might be because it's all just too heavy handed about the messaging. There are moments when it tries to lighten things up with a few jokes, or shows us some visually imaginative imagery, but in the end it still takes itself much too seriously. It's all still interesting sure, but it sure isn't as fun to watch as it probably should have been. 

You know what also doesn't help? The characters. I simply didn't care that much about the characters. It's too bad, because it's got quite the all star cast too, with Matt Damon in the lead as Paul Safranek. It's hard to feel invested with what happens to these characters, if the movie doesn't give me a more compelling reason to care.

I'll give the movie this though. It still made me want to see how it all plays out, and how it ends. I can't exactly call it boring either. I suppose it deserves some credit for that achievement at least. It's all just too unfortunate, because I'm far more interested in discussing the idea about "downsizing," rather than watch this movie called "Downsizing." 

loveditenjoyedit  IT'S OKAY  itsmehitsterrible

the shape of water

There's a lot to like about "The Shape Of Water." A lot. First and foremost, the direction by Guillermo del Toro here is just wonderful. He brings this unpredictably fascinating and yet dark tone to this production. He gives us a welcoming creative weirdness quite often in this movie, but also suddenly surprises us with scenes of an uncomfortable nature. This movie cuddles us with some whimsical fantasy moments, before it crashes it all down with realistic tension. That back and forth in the mood of this film simply gives us a unique experience in this bizarre tale, but that's also the strength of what makes us watch a Guillermo del Toro movie. 

Without any doubt, the cast here is phenomenal. Doug Jones is mostly silent in this story, but his portrayal of the Amphibian Man feels so spot on. Sally Hawkins is simply marvelous here as Elisa, playing a nice mute woman, who finds herself showcasing all her acting talent with all the miscellaneous things she had to do in this movie. Michael Shannon simply plays the bad guy really really really well here, and when it almost reaches cartoon level villainy, Shannon pulls back just enough to keep his character grounded. Octavia Spencer is as good as she usually is as Elisa's talkative best friend, and Michael Stuhlberg is great as the conflicted scientist who is caught in a precarious situation. 

The next actor that I wanted to mention was such a great scene stealer in this movie, I needed to give him his own paragraph. Richard Jenkins! Playing Elisa's neighbor and confidant Giles, Richard Jenkins absolute owns the whole movie. He is the highlight in a film that is already full of highlights. Always able to bring us a delightful performance and sympathetic character, I couldn't get enough of Giles. Best supporting actor level of talent right here. 

As for the story itself, it's good. Great even. It has this fantasy fable feel to it, but is still very much stuck in reality in many regards. The premise of the amphibian man, the mute woman, and the evil military men, does move the plot as expected as can be, but Guillermo del Toro does toss in a few curve balls here and there to keep things lively. While there's no doubt you're going to want to watch it all the way through, the main plot that is suppose to anchor the whole thing is the romance.

For the whole movie to completely win you over, the romance has to work. It does work for the most part, but I admit that I wasn't completely won over. I really liked that aspect of the story, but I just wanted a little bit more. If there is one thing that keeps me from completely falling in love with "The Shape Of Water," it is unfortunately my overall reaction to the love story. With that said, this is still a movie that's definitely worth checking out. 

lovedit  ENJOYED IT  itsokayitsmehitsterrible

jumanji: welcome to the jungle

I've been hearing conflicting reports about whether this movie is a sequel or not to the 1995 original, but I am on the side of thinking that it is in fact a sequel. I mean this movie opens up very similarly to how the previous entree ended after all, plus there is a reference to Robin Williams' character too. I simply like the idea that there's this game out there that's trying to suck unsuspecting "victims" into playing it, whether it's a board game, or a video game. If you have that mentality in mind, you might enjoy seeing this installment. Actually, if you didn't have any experience with the previous movie, you might enjoy it anyway. 

Despite my initial ideas of what to expect from "Welcome To The Jungle," in that it's just a stupid excuse of a movie, I'm happy to say that it's actually a rather fun watch. Was it stupid in certain parts? Sure. Did it have some predictable plot tropes? Yes. Was it derivative in it's premise? It was. Where there illogical parts that took me out of the movie? There were... Wait, I did say I had fun watching this right? I did, and I mean it! 

While this movie does technically have it's flaws and problems, the winning element on why it was still entertaining to watch was because of the cast. Dwayne Johnson plays the physically strong guy who is unsure of his self worth. He's an undeniably charming guy. Karen Gillan is the awkward girl who can kick ass. It's fun watching her go all out in her role. Jack Black plays his role like he is a teenage girl. Easy cheap humor sure, but Jack Black doesn't completely over do it. Kevin Hart plays... Kevin Hart. You know what to expect from that right? He was entertaining for sure. 

Although the comedy isn't always the best, and it's satirical take on video games doesn't always stick the landing, the cast of actors simply makes it work. From the difference between the avatar characters, the liberal trope of killing them off nonchalantly due to the fact they have multiple lives, to a whole joke about being a teenage girl in a man's body, this cast is the reason why any of that would work in the first place. Even when the actual action-adventure element gets bogged down into it's uninspired derivative nature, the cast manages to keep my attention. 

"Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle" is probably not going to be thought of as fondly as the 1995 "Jumanji," but that doesn't mean it's simply disposable entertainment. Well, I suppose it kinda was, but let's just say that it's fun disposable entertainment. It's not a horrible movie. There, that's the best reason to check it out. 

lovedit  ENJOYED IT  itsokayitsmehitsterrible

darkest hour

It's easy to accuse this movie as just being a vehicle for Gary Oldman's portrayal of the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and you would be forgiven because it is after all a very remarkable performance. From the physical mannerisms, the way he talks, to the way he acts around people, this is foremost a character that demands your rapt attention. This is a stand-out role that should give Gary Oldman a lot of recognition for his work here. He is also most likely the real reason to check out this film. 

Not to be overshadowed by Gary Oldman, another reason to see this movie is for Director Joe Wright. While the primary settings for this story are usually just rooms in buildings, Wright manages to give most every scene this energy that truly gives this movie a cinematic feel. There are some incredibly well shot sequences throughout the movie, from slow-mo panning shots, well framed scenes, to zoom effects. This movie was surprisingly a visual feast to watch. 

Despite the plot that revolves around the threat of the Nazis attempt to invade the UK, the trapped British soldiers in Dunkirk, and the political factors surrounding Churchill's newly appointed position as British Prime Minister, this story is foremost about the man himself, and why he became legendary through this time of history. While the movie does portray Churchill as this old curmudgeon who has a habit of putting people on edge, it also draws on your sympathy for the situation that he is in. That's the main point of seeing this movie, is that it makes you think about Winston Churchill as a person. 

I'll admit that overall, the "Darkest Hour" is just a solid film. It's not what I would consider a great film, because despite the phenomenal work of Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill, everything else is generally straight forward. 

lovedit  ENJOYED IT  itsokayitsmehitsterrible

star wars: the last jedi

If there is one thing that Writer-Director Rian Johnson did correctly with "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," is that he filled the movie with so many memorable moments. Wait wait wait, he also filled it with several genuine surprises as well; shockers even. Hold up, he also snuck in multiple legitimately funny moments, that goes as far as almost poking fun at itself. Oh and I should mention that with the help of cinematographer Steve Yedlin, this movie also showed us an overload of very incredibly striking and jaw-dropping imagery throughout the whole thing. Alright, so Rian Johnson did more than one thing correctly with this movie. 

The story telling is something that I have to give Johnson a lot of kudos. There is a lot of different plot threads going on here, and yet they all connected together very effortlessly. Stories that I will not spoil here obviously; which makes this review a little hard to write, but let's say that it takes chances with the narrative. Successfully I would add. Simple but interesting moments, to sections of pure epicness, this movie has it all. Then it even manages to throw a curve ball here and there when it needs to.  

I have previously said that I thought "Rogue One" really brought the "war" into "Star Wars," but I will now say that this movie tops that. I thought "The Force Awakens" did everything it could to make me like the new characters as much as I did, but this movie proves there's a lot more to like about them. BB-8 is still my favorite of the new cast though, and this movie used him wonderfully. Playing on the nostalgia factor with characters like Leia or Luke definitely helps, and wow did this movie show me some amazing moments with the Star Wars legends. Amazing stuff! 

It should be obvious that I really loved this movie, to the point that I can predict that out of this new trilogy, "The Last Jedi" could easily be my most favorite. Sure, there are things that I could still complain about and had issues with, but let's just say that I immediately wanted to watch it all over again as soon as the end credits started. So as much as you possibly can, try not to spoil this movie before watching it. You'll thank yourself for that. I know I did.  

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