the oath

POSITIVES…
- Ike Barinholtz is at full blown entertaining crazy here, as Actor, Writer, and Director.
- Fantastic cast all around, with some strong work by Billy Magnussen, Tiffany Haddish, and Jon Barinholtz.
- Just watching the escalation and tension grow as the movie moves along into a full blown catastrophe can be very enjoyable to watch.
- If you like to laugh at the ridiculousness of political partisan discourse among families during Thanksgiving, then this is the movie for you.

NEGATIVES…
- If watching a movie that pokes fun at partisan politics isn’t something you’re into, then definitely do not watch this.
- As outrageous and offensive as this movie can be, it oddly didn’t go far enough for me with it’s social commentary into the political climate of today.
- I think the movie played it a little “too safe” in some regards.
- Some plot turns were simply too convenient.

P.S….
- Oddly enough, I can believe the events of this movie actually happening in real life. Sad.

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

mid90s

POSITIVES…
- Sunny Suljic is amazing in his role as Stevie, and comes off so authentic
- Captures the “slacker generation” era really well.
- I liked some of the thematic plot points, surrounding Stevie’s journey, his Brother, his Mother, and his skateboarding friends.
- The chemistry and dynamics between the characters felt spot on.
- There’s a certain “raw” feel to the movie, that feels more like a series of snapshots of a story, than a purely written narrative.

NEGATIVES…
- Because of the way this story is told, it also feels like it meanders too much at some points.
- The characters in this movie aren’t always the most likable people that you’d actually want to watch a movie about.
- Due to the naturalistic style of storytelling, the movie can feel a little bit incomplete.

P.S….
- I was reminded at how much I simply didn’t like the fashion style of the 1990s.

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

the old man and the gun

POSITIVES…
- Robert Redford is charming as heck here. He is always so enjoyable to watch.
- Sissy Spacek is simply a delight in this as well.
- Based on the true-life story of Forrest Tucker, this is a nice premise of a movie.
- Written and Directed by David Lowery, he gives us a well paced, simple, and not overly-stylized story, that’s very entertaining for what it is.

NEGATIVES…
- Some people might not find this movie exciting enough, especially when it’s about a bank-robber.
- This is supposed to be Robert Redford’s last movie as an actor. That’s definitely a negative thing, because who wouldn’t want to see more of Robert Redford on the big-screen.

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

halloween

Let me just say that this 2018 entry of “Halloween” is definitely trying to capture that old style slasher film, with a few touches of modern sensibilities in terms of social themes. I say that because during the first few acts of the movie, with the time it’s taking setting up the characters and the premise, I was afraid that it wouldn’t grab the attention of today’s movie going audience. That’s due to it being less “in-your-face” or self-aware like some horror films are nowadays. Half way through the movie though, I think it made me completely ignore what I was concerned about.

The simplicity and basic nature of a slasher film is very much present here. It’s nothing fancy. It’s got some jump scare fake outs. It shows Michael Myers creepily stalk his prey. The helplessness of the victims sets the tone. The increasing amount of people who get murdered elevates the tension. The bravery of Laurie Strode gives us the protagonist to root for. The inclusion of Laurie’s family into the story makes it feel more personal. The OHMYGOD did Michael Myers just head-stomped that guy?!!!

I suppose I could argue that the increase in gory violence, and the adversarial nature of Laurie and Michael, does give it more of a modern take after all. They probably could have even called this movie “Laurie Strode vs Michael Myers.” All the new touches are appreciated, and shows some growth with the franchise, without tossing away everything we loved about the 1978 original. I mean it’s still got some stupid coincidences, or plot conveniences, that you’re going to have to suspend your disbelief with. This isn’t some meta deconstruction of a genre. It’s more of an homage. If you’re willing to accept this fact; the good and the bad that comes with this genre, then you should enjoy watching the movie.

While “Halloween” doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel with this 2018 film, it does give it a nice jolt of electricity to bring back some interest to a franchise that people have already written off. With that I thank David Gordon Green, Danny McBride, Jeff Fradley, and of course John Carpenter, for reminding us why Michael Myers isn’t somebody you should keep in the past.

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

the sisters brothers

POSITIVES…
- John C Reilly is phenomenal as Eli Sisters, and I’d like to add that he’s a badass in this.
- Joaquin Phoenix is amazing as Charlie Sisters, and brings some subtle complexities to his character.
- Jake Gyllenhaal as John Morris, and Riz Ahmed as Hermann Kermit Warm, are also really really good in this.
- The primary four actors should be enough to check this movie out.
- Premise for the film is solid, and I wouldn’t have minded seeing more stories surrounding the Sisters Brothers.
- There are some good locations, and excellent cinematography, that highlight this Western.
- There are also some great scenes, and interesting set pieces, that were mostly found in the second half of the movie.

NEGATIVES…
- If it wasn’t for the second half, this movie would have been an embarrassing mess.
- I couldn’t help but feel frustrated and impatient during the first half of the movie, even though the plot technically moves along at a decent pace.
- Boring and meandering is another way to describe a lot of the things that happens during the first half; and some in the second half too.
- This really felt like a really long movie, even if it’s just at about 121 minutes long.
- Some few attempts of amusing comedic moments are squandered by the fact the tone of the movie doesn’t exactly justify having them.
- There are some marketing materials for this that implies it being an action-packed western that leans on some comedy, and the actual movie is far from that. Talk about misleading.

loveditenjoyeditlikedit IT’S OKAY itsmehitsterrible

colette

POSITIVES…
- Without a doubt, watch this movie for the fantastic performance by Keira Knightley as Colette.
- Dominic West also deserves recognition for his role here as Willy.
- One of the best things about this film is the unconventional relationship between Colette and Willy. It helps that Knightley and West have excellent chemistry together on screen.
- There are some scenes and set pieces that were very enjoyable to watch.
- As a based on a true story biopic that spans several years, it’s paced pretty well, and knows what should or shouldn’t be omitted from the movie.

NEGATIVES…
- Some might have wanted to see the stories that are omitted from this movie.
- Most of the supporting characters don’t really get to shine or get properly developed, as this is predominantly a Knightley / West vehicle.
- Certain plot points seemed rushed through.

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

first man

There are two things that “First Man” made me realize. One, I apparently didn’t know enough about what it took to even get NASA to a position where they could send people to the Moon. Two, I apparently really didn’t know much about Neil Armstrong. Alright, there’s a third thing. Three, this wasn’t the movie I was expecting going into it, and that’s not a bad thing.

To my surprise, this movie is actually less about the moon landing, and so much more about the life of Neil Armstrong. I suppose I should have figured that out with the title of the movie, but if there was any doubt, this is definitely a biopic of the man. Ryan Gosling gets to play the role of Armstrong here and he is simply phenomenal in it. There’s a lot of nuance involved with how to portray this specific man who mostly keeps his emotions in check, and Gosling nailed it.

As it goes with biopics, I usually complain about how they aren’t always good with a story that spans several years, and put all that into a cohesive narrative with proper pacing. Thankfully this movie managed to pull it off. The plot progression from the beginning years all the way to that historical day of the moon landing, all felt natural and engaging. There’s still a sense that time passes, but without sacrificing the integrity of the development of this specific premise that balances between Neil Armstrong and the NASA space program. With that said, I did have my issues on how the last few acts played out, but thankfully they didn’t break the movie for me.

With the Direction of Damien Chazelle, this film felt very intimate and personal with the story. There are mostly close up shots of the characters, which only emphasized that this is about the people involved in this story, and less about the technical aspects of how we send people into the Moon. There are still some jargon and historically technical plot details surrounding the space program of course; and they are fascinating, but those do take a back seat to the main emotional core and weight of Neil Armstrong’s story.

It’s easy to think about the Moon landing in the broad historical way, but usually we may ignore the human aspects of how we reached that goal. “First Man” hopes to change all that by using the story of Neil Armstrong; who and what he represents, to ground us into fully appreciating the blood, sweat, and tears, behind that achievement. I really enjoyed this more human drama telling of this journey to the moon, and it’s a fresh take that I’m glad I got to experience.

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

all about nina

POSITIVES…
- Mary Elizabeth Winstead once again proves to be one of the best actresses of her generation.
- If this movie was more high profile, Winstead should be in consideration for getting nominated for best actress of the year.
- Winstead does an amazing job in the role of Nina Geld, who has some incredible character development here, that’s essentially the main anchor and a big reason to see this film.
- Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s killer impression of Kristen Stewart alone makes it worth seeing this.
- Common also does solid work here as Rafe, and the chemistry he has with Nina is captivating, and one of the choice plots to follow in this story.
- This is a good entry in the “Dark Comedy” genre, as it excellently melds some heavy topics mixed in with some provocative humor.

NEGATIVES…
- Due to the dark subject matters, it feels awkward to laugh at some of the humor here.
- There’s a bit of tired stereotyping about Los Angeles life and it’s residents.
- Vomit. I could have lived without the surprising amount of vomit I had to see in this movie.

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

bad times at the el royale

When describing “Bad Times At The El Royale,” there will be people who will say that it’s “different,” “fresh,” “interesting,” or “captivating.” I would not disagree with those sentiments, but there is also one word that I would use for the movie that isn’t really a description, and more of what I had to have when watching it. “Patience.” Then if I want to be extra mean, another word I would use is “bored.” Oh, but let’s not stop there. I’ll toss in an actual descriptive word for the film. “Indulgent.”

I will say this about Writer-Director Drew Goddard, he has a good visual eye on how his movies should look, and clearly he has a lot of creative imagination with his writing. That’s something I’m not going to take away from him, because he’s in prime form with this film, as it is visually arresting, and the story is something you really want to see through until the end. Just from the very first scene, you can tell that the movie is going to be filled with a lot of great set pieces, and there are indeed. From the quirky premise of the El Royale, you can also tell that there are going to be twists and turns worth sticking around for, and sure enough they are.

With all that said, let’s go back to that word I said previously, “Indulgent.” This is a movie that seems to have a lot of ambitious ideas, that I think it ended up becoming a detriment to the overall experience. So much set up. So much backstory. So much plot turns. So much pay offs. There’s just so much here to digest. Ironically, another word that can also describe the movie is “slow,” because it does take it’s time before it gets to the point where you’ll really want to feel invested with what’s going on (about an hour in). That’s all despite the fact that I still feel like there is so much content crammed into this 142 minutes movie. As cliche as it is for me to say, but maybe Drew Goddard should have just made this a TV mini-series.

If this movie manages to cross the finish line a winner, it’s because it had the help of a fantastic ensemble cast. Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson, Lewis Pullman, Cailee Spaeny, and yes Chris Hemsworth who seemed to really be having a blast in his role. I’ll give credit once again to Goddard’s writing, because he manages to flesh out these characters in interesting ways, and yes I did find myself invested in their outcomes. Some people might also say that the “El Royale” is a character on it’s own, but if that’s the case then I want a little bit more development than what was given to us. The El Royale’s lounge / main hall however? Now that’s a character!

Being that I’m a fan of Drew Goddard’s work, I am a little disappointed that I didn’t completely love “Bad Times At The El Royale” as much as I hoped I would. It does have a lot to offer in terms of entertainment value, and I did like the twists and turns in the story. Seriously though, Goddard should consider just redoing this movie into a mini-series. Just saying…

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

venom

Although a lot of people will see “Venom” as a comic-book or maybe even a super-hero film, the truth is that it’s actually a lot closer to a monster flick. Yes there are some heroics involved still, and some will argue that the character is more like an anti-hero, but it doesn’t change the fact that the story feels more like what you would find in a monster movie. Admittedly it’s more like a generic monster movie, and if it wasn’t then go ahead and call it a generic comic-book super-hero movie.

While fans of the comic-book character will find things to like about this adaptation of Venom, I’m sure they will find things to nitpick about as well, especially when you compare the two different mediums. That isn’t the focus of this non-spoiler review however, so if I was strictly going to judge this movie by itself, then I would say that it’s simply passable if not a competent piece of entertainment. It doesn’t go far and beyond from what you would typically find with these kinds of films, but at least I didn’t think that it was horrible. As a movie goer, you will either find the familiarity comforting to watch, or too derivative to put up with. I’m somewhere in the middle.

If you put aside the familiar plot tropes, predictable cliches, stupid moments, blatant pandering, and unremarkable supporting casts; I swear it felt like Michelle Williams was phoning it in, then all you’ve got left is Tom Hardy and Venom. I had my concerns from watching the promotional trailers, but I ended up actually thinking that Tom Hardy made this movie much better than it deserved to be. He kinda swung for the fences with his performance as Eddie Brock, and the chemistry he has with the Venom character is truly the best thing about this film. Considering that Tom Hardy also does the voice for Venom, the fact that he is literally talking to himself is just an enjoyable thing to see.

Needless to say, “Venom” is not this great film that everybody should watch, because it really isn’t. Even so, there is definitely some entertainment value to this movie, especially with the Eddie Brock and Venom characters. Considering the monster flick aspects of the premise, I would have loved to have seen more blood and guts portrayed on screen, but for now I’m just glad that this isn’t the train-wreck it was predicted to be.

loveditenjoyeditlikedit IT’S OKAY itsmehitsterrible