Brightburn

POSITIVES…

  • Superhero comic book origin tale, morphed into a Horror movie. It’s a spectacular premise of a genre mash-up. A teenager; Brandon Breyer, uses his superhuman powers for evil and not for good. It is an amusing meta concept, as there are blatant easter eggs to a certain DC comics character.

  • The scenes that are suspenseful and disturbing, which includes horrific death and destruction, are effective enough to justify the idea behind this movie’s premise.

  • There is a terrific sense of irony, when seeing the great visual effects that are usually found in comic book superhero movies, but used in a horror film such as this.

  • Scary movie jump scares that are used in this context. Kinda neat.

  • That final act is a fantastic roller coaster of wondering which direction the movie is going to go to conclude the story.

NEGATIVES…

  • Despite the fact the whole cast is great in this, I couldn’t help but be disappointed at the incredible lack of good character development for any of them. Well, maybe Elizabeth Banks’ character is the exception, but still…

  • How and why should I care about what happens to these characters when the movie doesn’t give me enough reason to do so?

  • Characters ended up just being plot devices to move the story along. Which is the unfortunate result of the movie using too much shorthand exposition that relies on the audience to fill in the gaps in story telling themselves.

  • Why should I care that this is the direction Brandon Breyer decides to go with his newly found powers? I feel like that’s an important factor that the movie only thinks it properly covered.

  • On paper, one can say that the theme of the movie is about “nurture vs nature,” but in all honesty, the movie doesn’t do enough groundwork with the material for that to be what it’s all about. It should be, but it’s not.

P.S….

  • I guess this is yet another movie universe where superhero comics never existed? They would have made good reference material for the family’s situation.

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Aladdin (2019)

POSITIVES…

  • As a fan of the 1992 original; plus the stage musical version from the theme park, this adaptation was familiar and different enough, that it succeeds as a good companion piece to the animated classic.

  • One of the main highlights of this version is Mena Massoud as Aladdin. That actor is charming as heck. Well casted.

  • I also liked that Aladdin gets to show off parkour skills in the movie.

  • The other main highlight is Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine. She also does justice to the character. Another role that’s well casted.

  • I also really liked the new song that Naomi gets to sing in this, called “Speechless.”

  • The chemistry between the two worked for me, which helped get me invested in their romantic plot.

  • Director Guy Ritchie does a great job of grounding the movie in some realism when necessary, but doesn’t shy away at all on the fact that this is a live-action cartoon and uses that to his advantage. So expect some liberties taken logically and culturally.

  • The story is still entertaining, and the songs are still very catchy. Now I also get to add that the dance numbers were also good to see here too.

  • It’s also funny at times, and I admit to laughing out loud for some of the humor. Along with the other cast members, Nasim Pedrad and Billy Magnussen were welcome to have in this movie in contributing to the comedy.

  • Visually, the movie is great to look at. The locations are great. The animal characters are awesome. Plus Magic Carpet is expectedly great.

  • Before you think I forgot to mention him, Will Smith was indeed good as the Genie. He did his own thing for the role differently enough in a nuanced way, when compared to the version that Robin Williams mastered.

  • As expected, the character of Genie added that extra boost of fun to the equation, and his chemistry with Aladdin is still good here.

  • The Jafar and Iago combo of characters; played respectively by Marwan Kenzari and Alan Tudyk, were portrayed a bit more reserved than their animated counterparts, but I thought it still worked well.

  • I liked that each of the main characters, shared commonalities to the overall theme of the story. The thematic message that I genuinely think is appreciatively more fleshed out here than in the ‘92 movie.

  • I also liked how all the main characters got a little bit more development to their background stories over their animated counterparts.

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s too bad Genie wasn’t in the movie as much as you think he should be.

  • Despite Genie’s chemistry with Aladdin, there weren’t enough scenes of them together to really capitalize on that fact.

  • Genie’s CGI character was hit and miss, here and there…

  • The third act of the movie didn’t always hit the landing in concluding some of the plot threads. It even got boring a few times, which ruined the energetic pacing of the first two acts.

  • That third act also includes an odd scene idea for a Jasmine solo number, that I don’t think worked at all.

  • A few plot turns were handled clumsily as well.

  • Plus there were some scenes that could only be viewed as pandering to an audience, and pushes your suspension of disbelief a little too far.

P.S….

  • Carpet makes a sand castle, and that’s just adorable.

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A Dog's Journey

POSITIVES…

  • If you liked the previous movie “A Dog’s Purpose,” then by all means you should see this.

  • If you are a huge fan of dogs, then by all means you should see this.

  • If you find comfort in the idea that your dog that has already passed away could be reincarnated just for your benefit, then by all means you should see this.

  • If you are the target audience for this, then expect a crowd pleaser, and probably a tear jerker of a movie.

  • Kathryn Prescott is really good in her role, and plays a sympathetic character that I found myself really invested with what happens to her.

  • The plot progression moves at a good pace, and despite the many cliche moments, it wasn’t hard for the movie to keep my attention.

  • Kudos to the dog actors. What a talented cute bunch to see perform on screen.

  • Is it cheating if I say that every scene involving dogs are just the best ones in the movie?

NEGATIVES…

  • Can’t really deny it, but it really is a derivative story.

  • There are some nitpicky plot things in this movie that kinda bugged me.

  • Story is arguably emotionally manipulative, and pandering.

  • Betty Gilpin’s character was much too cliche for my taste.

  • I never liked the nickname “Boss Dog”

P.S….

  • In all honesty, they should have switched the titles. This movie should have been “A Dog’s Purpose,” while the previous one should have been “A Dog’s Journey.”

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John Wick Chapter 3 Parabellum

POSITIVES…

  • If you liked the first two John Wick movies, then there’s no reason why you wouldn’t want to see this third installment.

  • You watch this movie to see Keanu Reeves as John Wick kick ass, and he definitely does that here. There’s a whole scene where he used knives, and another one where he used horses, and many more that you just have to see.

  • Action! Action! Action! From hand to hand combat, bladed weapons, to guns, and even the use of a book in a fight, there’s simply a lot of cool action fight sequences to be amazed at.

  • Several deaths were quite brutal to watch, but still oh so entertaining.

  • The dogs in this movie, were expertly included in one particular action sequence, and wow were they awesome.

  • New characters played by Asia Kate Dillon, Mark Dacascos, and Halle Berry, are great additions to this mythology.

  • Even Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman from “the Raid” and “the Raid 2” are in this too.

  • There were actually some good self-aware humor and meta jokes thrown into this movie that I thought were great.

  • The world building about all these assassins hit-men stuff once again gets more development to that whole thing, and only makes this franchise even more compelling.

NEGATIVES…

  • There were several scenes that required huge suspension of disbelief, that it boggles my mind as to how they could casually just ignore some real world factors.

  • I don’t know how to say this, but at a few points during the movie, I started to wish that they developed John Wick’s character much more than what has been given to us so far. Give Keanu Reeves more juicy material to do some dramatic acting, because right now all that’s expected of him is to just fight fight fight.

  • Had this complaint in the previous movie too, but John Wick needing to wear a bulletproof suit, come on now seriously?!

P.S….

  • Maybe it was a homage to how Bruce Lee fought Kareem Abdul Jabbar, but Keanu Reeves also gets to fight someone from the NBA, Boban Marjonovic!

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Pokemon Detective Pikachu

POSITIVES…

  • If you’re a fan of Pokemon, then this movie is clearly made for you.

  • If you have no knowledge of the world of Pokemon, there are still a lot to like about this movie.

  • All the pokemon references and easter eggs; as well as the pop culture stuff, are all very fun to see in general.

  • Kudos to the SFX team for bringing Pokemon to life on the big screen.

  • Detective Pikachu himself is super cute, and Ryan Reynolds voicing him is just so very entertaining.

  • Pikachu’s chemistry with Tim; played by Justice Smith, works really well, and is one of the main driving force to go through this movie.

  • The “solve the mystery” premise in itself is pretty solid, and should keep your attention.

  • Best scenes of the movie for me involved a mime character, and a set piece involving a forest.

  • The humor is generally good, and adds greatly to the entertainment factor.

  • There’s a plot reveal conceit regarding a certain character throughout the movie, that really amused me in how they tried to handle it.

  • This reminded me of a time when I was much much younger, being amazed and wowed in seeing the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” live-action movie in theaters way back in 1990. I think in a similar way, Detective Pikachu might be thought of just as fondly by today’s young generation, 30 years from now.

NEGATIVES…

  • Despite some creative plot reveals and whatnot, there’s a certain simplistic, predictable, and basic feel to the story telling, that constantly reminded me at how this movie is really still primarily catering to kids below 17 Years old.

  • There’s nothing in this movie that could truly be considered “challenging” in terms of what it brings new to the table.

  • A lot of those plot turns and reveals are purely in the realm of coincidences, and conveniences, as well as constantly using shorthand to explain away the world building and the character developments.

  • Speaking of which, Lucy Stevens; as played by Kathryn Newton, needs more development to her character. Some will argue that every character; short of Pikachu, general needs more time spent in the character development department.

P.S….

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Long Shot

POSITIVES…

  • As a movie that is a romantic-comedy, with socio-political commentaries, plus a mismatched couple premise, I found this to be perfectly fun and a crowd pleaser.

  • We all know Charlize Theron is a great actress, and it’s no exception here, but it’s always nice to see her do comedy.

  • Seth Rogen is…… Seth Rogen. He does what he does best.

  • The chemistry between Theron and Rogen here is solid, and the two of them are what makes this movie work as well as it does.

  • Rooting for this odd-pairing of a couple is what got me super invested with this movie.

  • It also has a good supporting cast, from June Diane Raphael, O’Shea Jackson Jr, Alexander Skarsgård, to Andy Serkis (who I didn’t even recognize!).

  • Boy II Men makes a fun cameo appearance.

  • Plus the movie soundtrack is also really good. My kind of jams.

  • The humor in this is definitely a lot of fun, and there were in fact several scenes when I actually laughed-out-loud.

  • Has just the right amount of comedic crudeness and steamy stuff.

  • I liked the thematic messaging of this story as well, which even includes some lessons that I was pleasantly surprised to see in this movie.

NEGATIVES…

  • The thematic messaging isn’t to everyone’s liking, and it does hit you over the head multiple times with no subtlety.

  • There are several unbelievable plot points that might make or break this movie for you.

  • Story is generally predictable, and follows very familiar plot tropes.

  • Certain characters are as cliche as it gets.

  • Like with many comedies, there’s that particular lull in the story where things get really serious. While not completely saying it’s a negative by itself, I kinda wanted to just have a laugh all the way through until the end.

P.S….

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Avengers: Endgame

POSITIVES…

  • Really felt like a Love letter tribute to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

  • Gave us most of what we wanted to see.

  • Gave us surprises that we liked seeing.

  • Overall story moved at it’s own pace, as it wasn’t afraid to slow things down, and then speed things up when needed.

  • I’m sure it was technically long as it was a 3 hours movie, but it sure didn’t feel like it to me! I could have stayed for another hour if it demanded me to.

  • The main characters gets to really shine here, and does a great job of giving a fitting spotlight to the original core Avengers.

  • Doesn’t skimp out on the drama, and there are tons of great development given to the characters.

  • The chemistry between the cast just felt perfect.

  • So many fun character moments.

  • There were some pleasantly surprising cameos!

  • Action adventure sequences are expectedly entertaining and exciting.

  • Visually, it was expectedly good to watch.

  • That MCU humor is still very much present, and I will always welcome that.

  • THAT FINAL HOUR WAS JUST WOW !!!!!

  • Amazing crowd pleasing moments.

  • Emotional and heartbreaking in all the right ways.

  • After watching the movie, you can finally relax in trying to avoid spoilers.

NEGATIVES…

  • There are some convenient plot developments that kinda shows the seams in the writing a bit, and breaks that suspension of disbelief at times.

  • One character in particular doesn’t seem to get a proper treatment at all, and was more of a plot device.

  • You’re going to wish some of those cameo characters have more prominent roles.

  • Some of the visual effects do look a little flawed at times.

  • There are some major plot point scenarios that some people may not completely agree with how they are resolved (or are not resolved) by the end of the movie. Will definitely get you to talk about them though.

  • It doesn’t have those typical MCU mid-credits and end-credits sequences, and there will be people that will be very disappointed by that fact.

P.S….

  • Thank You to Jon Favreau, and Robert Downey Jr, for jump starting the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

  • Thank You to Joss Whedon for bringing together the Avengers and introducing Thanos.

  • Thank You to Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, plus Directors Anthony and Joe Russo, for wrapping up an unprecedented ambitious cinematic experience that was over 10 Years and 22 movies worth in the making.

  • Thank You to Kevin Feige for overseeing the whole thing.

  • Thank You to Disney and Marvel Studios for allowing this to happen.

  • Thank You Stan Lee. ‘nuff said.

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Teen Spirit

POSITIVES…

  • Best scenes are easily the sequences when Elle Fanning sings. Seems like the most care were put on those parts of the movie.

  • This movie knows how to do montages. I really like the montages, especially in scenes that feel like music videos.

  • The general style of the movie looks good.

  • Zlatco Buric is the most interesting character in this story.

  • I should emphasize the fact that I like the pop songs sung in this movie. I’m a sucker for movie musical genres, so that in itself makes me want to see it through until the end.

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s a good thing I liked Elle’s singing voice here, because the character she plays is severely underwritten. I just could not warm up to her at all throughout the whole movie. It’s like she’s just a walking cliche of a stereotypical moody teen who wishes they were successful in life.

  • The tone of the movie surprisingly feels drab and unenergetic. For a movie with a title of “Teen Spirit,” I was hoping for it to be more spirited. It doesn’t have spirit. No. No. No spirit.

  • You’ve seen this singing competition underdog story before, and it simply does not add anything new to the genre. If anything else, it actually took things out of the premise by relying on plot short cuts. It’s like the movie is painfully aware that we know all the typical plot tropes already, so it doesn’t bother writing them into the story. Hey writer-director Max Minghella, it’s not our job to fill in those holes.

  • All the sub-plots in this movie also kinda went nowhere. Since they are of the cliche variety, I’m sure we’re supposed to just know where they were going anyway.

  • Due to the lack of care in telling the full story in an engaging fashion, the movie feels like it’s just going through the motions, and in turn also feels a bit unbelievably fake. Pandering. Manipulative. Wish-fulfillment. Those things too.

  • MOVIE! You can’t just get by with the fact that Elle Fanning can act, sing, and look pretty in this. Give us more than what was attempted here!

P.S….

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The Curse Of La Llorona

POSITIVES…

  • Linda Cardellini is good in this, and perfectly plays the audience surrogate to what happens in this movie.

  • Raymond Cruz is a welcome addition to this cast, and gives this movie that extra oomph to make it better than it probably deserves to be.

  • The cinematography and camera work here is excellent.

  • Best thing about this movie are the jumpscare set pieces, and there are several of them. While there’s a predictability to them, I think they earn their jumpscares anyway, due to how effective and clever they were.

NEGATIVES…

  • The demon-ghost character of La Llorona herself is hardly developed or interesting at all.

  • La Llorona in this is relegated to just be the plot device to provide the jumpscares for this movie.  It’s a waste of her character.

  • Some have argued that this movie is also just cultural appropriation of a Latin American folklore legend.

  • While there are some smart things that the characters do, there are far more stupid things that they still do.

  • I like my Conjuring Universe movies to have that bit of feeling realistically grounded despite the supernatural elements, and this one fails at that in many ways.

  • There’s one particular scene, when one of the characters is doing the most incredibly stupid thing that I ever saw in the movie. I wanted to jeer at the screen for such a facepalm worthy scene.

P.S….

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Missing Link

POSITIVES…

  • To no surprise, the incredible visuals achieved by the stop-motion animation work by Laika are simply amazing to see in this film.

  • The plot progression itself is simple and straightforward, and yet the story was also very clever and insightful in many different ways.

  • I liked the fascinating characters, and the talented cast that voiced them.

  • With this being sort of a buddy-road trip premise covering the adventures of Mr. Link and Sir Lionel Frost; Zach Galifianakis and Hugh Jackman respectively, The chemistry they have is just excellent! I was entertained quite thoroughly.

  • The thematic messages of the movie itself is also something I can totally stand behind.

  • There are some nice plot surprises and enjoyable action set-pieces, that I thought was just awesome.

  • I was entertained from beginning until the end. What more could you want?

NEGATIVES…

  • This style of movie and it’s type of humor simply may not appeal to everyone.

  • Plot conveniences. While they don’t break the whole movie, they are still there.

P.S….

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