creed II

POSITIVES…
- Michael B Jordan is as good as ever.
- Stallone is Stallone, and I guess we don’t ask for more than that.
- I really liked the story line specifically about Adonis and Bianca.
- I also really liked the plot thread between Ivan Drago and his son Viktor.
- The training montages are always enjoyable to watch.
- Boxing matches are explosive and good as well.
- The overall themes of this story are great, and the movie takes it’s time to let the characters breath and grow.

NEGATIVES…
- The movie takes it’s time, and some might say that it also moves a bit slower than expected.
- It’s a solid movie about boxing, but it honestly doesn’t really add anything new to the genre.
- This franchise still relies heavily on nostalgia and is still retreading what we’ve seen in the Rocky movies.
- Maybe the next installment will finally let Adonis Creed stand on his own for real.

P.S….
- There are a couple of cameo appearances that I didn’t know about, and were pleasantly surprised to see.

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robin hood 2018

POSITIVES…
- Taron Egerton continues to be as charming as ever.
- Jamie Foxx was also good in this.
- Ben Mendelsohn is awesome hamming it up as the villain.
- Action adventure sequences are enjoyable enough to watch.
- The overall modern style directing, visuals, and tone to what should be a straight period piece, did add a nice entertaining flavor to the whole movie.

NEGATIVES…
- The modern style feel of it all isn’t going to go well with some people.
- While the liberties taken to this classic story are welcome, it still doesn’t stray too far from expected plot developments that can make the movie feel derivative in some ways.
- Also expect some plot conveniences to happen to get the story moving in a predictable manner.
- Had potential to be better than what it is, but the movie is content to just be perfectly acceptable.

P.S….
- I know this movie wants to be a franchise, but let’s leave it alone as it is.

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widows

POSITIVES…
- Viola Davis is amazing and gives this film that dramatic gravitas so very well.
- Elizabeth Debicki has probably one of the best and most nuanced characters in this film.
- Cynthia Erivo is proving to be this energetic dynamo of an actress.
- Daniel Kaluuya is excellent as the antagonist you do not want to mess with.
- Michelle Rodriguez, as well as all the other actors are good too, and everybody gets to have a scene or two where they get to show off their acting prowess.
- From beginning until the very end, I was hooked and on the edge of my seat in anticipation to what was going to happen next.
- There’s a lot to chew on here, from the dramatic plot threads, some social commentary that adds more spice to the narrative, the vulnerable emotional scenes, the exciting plot revelations, to the thrilling action sequences, it’s hard not to give this movie all the attention you’re able to give it.
- Thought provoking themes, and memorable scenes, I was enjoying every minute of this film.
- For just being his fourth feature film, Steve McQueen is fast becoming one of my most favorite Directors today.
- Easily one of the best films that happen to involve women trying to pull off a heist.

NEGATIVES…
- As it goes, if you’ve seen enough of these kinds of movies, there are the expected bits of plot conveniences and predictability here and there.

P.S….
- that West Highland White Terrier in the movie seemingly unintentionally steals the scenes she’s in

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boy erased

POSITIVES…
- Strong performances all around, from Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, and Joel Edgerton.
- There were several scenes that were emotionally powerful, that it’s hard not to have empathy for the characters.
- Movie has a great somber tone to go along with the heavy subject matter.
- The story is based on a real life memoir and is definitely worth sharing with people willing to listen to it.

NEGATIVES…
- While the story is based on real life, it also paints a somewhat one-sided point of view, that can easily be accused of propaganda.
- The “antagonists” running the gay conversion program are kinda cartoonishly bad.
- Since the movie emphasizes Lucas Hedges character the most, most of the supporting characters don’t get much in terms of real insightful development.
- Seems to have some gaps in the narrative that glosses over some plot details.

P.S…
- Troye Sivan; who plays Gary in the film, has a beautifully made song for the movie’s soundtrack called “Revelation.”

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the crimes of grindelwald

POSITIVES…
- It’s nice to see the familiar cast of characters and creatures from the first Fantastic Beasts movie.
- Jude Law’s portrayal of Albus Dumbledore went better than I imagined.
- Johnny Depp actually does a good job as the main antagonist Grindelwald.
- Seeing Hogwarts again on the big screen is a big plus.
- The visuals for all the magic and the new locations are great to watch.
- This installment adds a lot of interesting and fascinating ideas and characters into this ongoing story.

NEGATIVES…
- Narrative is kind of a mess and all over the place.
- There were several disjointed transitions from one plot to another, as if it was some hard chapter break in a book. Hey J.K. Rowling, writing a screenplay is not the same thing as writing a novel.
- The narrative unnaturally forces itself to the big plot points, plot reveals, or plot twists.
- Things just happen because they have to happen, which kept me disattached from what I was watching.
- The whole movie felt like it’s just a bunch of big giant exposition sequences that sets things up for the next installments.

P.S….
- Gotta admit, the fantastic beasts are easily one of the main highlights of having this franchise so far.

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can you ever forgive me

POSITIVES…
- Amazing performance by Melissa McCarthy as Lee Israel. In a great character study of a role.
- Richard E Grant is spectacular as her friend Jack Hock.
- The chemistry McCarthy and Grant have together is great to watch.
- This has a fascinating but simple story to see play out on screen, and everything involving the crimes Lee Israel committed kept my attention until the end.

NEGATIVES…
- It’s a slow burn and seemed content with it’s slow pacing. A little too slow for my taste at times.
- Lee Israel is not a likeable person at all, so hopefully you can put up with her schtick.

P.S….
- Somehow I was expecting more fun 1990s era references. However, I really shouldn’t be expecting that from this kind of film.

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prospect

POSITIVES…
- An original indie-sci-fi movie that successfully mergers an alien planet with a prospector frontier western premise.
- The world building is incredible, in what feels like a lived-in reality of space travel and exploration, with visuals to match.
- Gotta love all the jargon and detail that we’re just suppose to accept at face value.
- Sophie Thatcher does a good job giving us a character that’s moody with subtle emotions.
- Pedro Pascal is charming as heck, and gives us a strong performance as Ezra.
- High concept story that felt personal, thought provoking, and exciting whenever it needs to be. It kept my attention from beginning until the end.

NEGATIVES…
- There are some narrative gaps that will bug certain nitpickers.
- Movie might not move fast enough for some people.

P.S….
- watch the original short film this is based on - vimeo.com/90049558

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dr seuss' the grinch

POSITIVES…
- Benedict Cumberbatch plays a good Grinch.
- Love Love Love Max the dog and Fred the reindeer.
- Cindy-Lou Who has an expanded plot which I thought worked well.
- I found it to be pretty funny a lot of the times. From the sight gags, the recurring jokes, to non sequiturs.
- Visuals are great, with some fantastic ideas in how it depicts whoville.
- Some of the contemporary additions were innocuous enough to work with the story.

NEGATIVES…
- Some of the contemporary additions just feel too out of place, or just failed altogether.
- The narrator and the more modern version of the theme song just didn’t work for me at all.
- While it has a great thematic message at the end, not all of the themes seemed to have carried over to the movie.

P.S….
- Co-Directed by the guy who helped bring us Jay & Silent Bob.

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the girl in the spider's web

POSITIVES…
- Lisbeth Salander is still a great character, and I thought Claire Foy did a good enough job in the role.
- I love a lot of the clever things Lisbeth does in the exciting situations, and her actions can really be quite the crowd pleasers.
- The cat and mouse scenarios are also pretty entertaining to watch.
- There are some genuinely fun action thriller set pieces for this movie.

NEGATIVES…
- Those looking for the procedural mystery themes of the previous film, will be disappointed by this heavy turn towards it being an action thriller.
- The story might come off a little generic or derivative for some people.
- Sverrir Gudnason is unfortunately a bland bore in the role of Mickael Blomkvist.

P.S….
- This movie’s drinking game is to take a shot whenever someone falls off a ledge.

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suspiria

POSITIVIES…
- Tilda Swinton goes all out on this one, and she’s awesome for it.
- The movie is perfectly unsettling, creepy, and mysterious.
- Has the perfect tone and mood throughout to keep your attention in anticipation to what’s going on.
- There are some scenes that have some clever use of voice dubbing.
- Manages to show me some scenes that make me feel like I shouldn’t be witnessing something so dark, disturbing, and simply evil.

NEGATIVES…
- Except for some scenes, the movie doesn’t really have a lot of scares at all. Especially if that’s what you’re looking for.
- Some people will argue that it’s too slow and too long.
- Dakota Johnson was hit or miss for me here, but I can see why they chose her for the role of Susie Bannion.
- There were some some plot conveniences that required some suspension of disbelief.

P.S….
- I’m just going to say it. I liked this version more than the original.

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