Jay and Silent Bob Reboot

POSITIVES…

  • It’s definitely made for fans of Kevin Smith, his movies, plus everything and everyone tangentially related to him. Even if you aren’t, if you were at least a fan of “Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back,” then it’s for sure made for you as well.

  • If you like Kevin Smith’s offbeat, low-brow, outrageous, gross, silly, and stupid, style of comedy, then this movie is right up your alley.

  • Meta jokes. Breaking the 4th wall jokes. Pop culture reference jokes. Inside jokes. All of that, also in this movie. Fun stuff.

  • Cameos! Cameos! Cameos! Whether it’s in service of the plot, a joke, or just a reference, you should like all those nice surprises from certain actors.

  • There are multiple scenes that are kinda incredulous and stupid, but I would argue that they were also entertaining.

  • The dialogue and exchanges between several different characters were also quite entertaining.

  • Considering the huge cast found in this film, the real talents whom I thought really really stood out among all of them, were Jason Mewes and Harley Quinn Smith. The both of them owned this movie, and the banter plus chemistry between the two were simply terrific, and even brought some pretty moving moments as well.

  • The chemistry between Jay and Silent Bob were terrific too as expected, but a definite shout out to Jay and Milly.

  • As far as the story goes. It went for absurd plot set piece to absurd plot set piece, from beginning until the end. As a fan since the first Clerks movie, I found it to be an awesome journey.

  • Oh, bonus scenes before, during, and after the end credits. A lot more fun all the way until it’s really all over.

  • Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, felt like your friend / family made an attempt at a home movie, and specifically targeted it for friends and family, because they’ll “get it.” That’s a nice feeling. Thanks Kevin Smith.

NEGATIVES…

  • If you’re not a fan of Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back, and anything related to Kevin Smith, then this movie is most likely not for you at all.

  • Comedy is subjective, so this movie’s sense of humor will vary. You might hate all the jokes (hopefully not).

  • There is a particular plot reveal during the final act that comes out of nowhere, that even I had to raise one eyebrow for the choice made there.

  • Although it’s not something I should point out as a negative, but there does seem to be a somewhat janky feeling in stitching all the scenes together into a coherent movie.

P.S….

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Lucy In The Sky

POSITIVES…

  • No surprise here, but Natalie Portman is really good in her role as astronaut Lucy Cola.

  • The story of Lucy’s character progression from the beginning of the movie until the end is fascinating, and is the driving factor to watch the whole thing.

  • Supporting cast is great here too, from Jon Hamm, Dan Stevens, Ellen Burstyn, and several more.

  • The last act was particularly solid, and one of the main reasons to see this movie.

NEGATIVES…

  • This movie plays around with several film aspect ratios, and while you would initially think that there’s an important purpose on why that is, in the end if felt pointless. It was like an excuse to try and keep your attention.

  • Why did it need to keep your attention? Because besides the performances, the story deliberately moves at a frustrating pace. There’s a lot of meandering going on here.

  • At about 2 hours long, the movie felt much longer to sit through than it should feel.

  • I get that there’s a purpose to Pearl Amanda Dickson’s character of Blue Iris being in this movie, but I honestly thought there wasn’t much point of her being in the story. Kinda a waste of the character’s time.

  • Although it is loosely based on a true story, there were some plot turns that didn’t help make me like the movie more. Definitely less.

  • Oh, and whether they were actual true events or not, there is a bit of derivativeness to parts of the story.

  • The moment the song “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” actually shows up in the movie somehow lands like a dud. I was all “THAT’S when you play that song?!”

P.S….

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Jexi

POSITIVES…

  • This is the first movie that convinced me that Adam Devine; as Phil, can in fact play a good leading man in a comedy movie. Considering the premise, he’s really good in the role.

  • I found the whole movie’s gimmick about a phone’s voice assistant constantly berating, humiliating, and sabotaging the character of Phil to actually be quite amusing.

  • At its core, what makes this movie worked as well as it could, is because of the interactions and banter Phil has with his phone Jexi; played spectacularly by Rose Byrne.

  • Considering the low-brow, nonsensical, and silly humor that this movie has, I still legitimately laughed out loud at several memorably funny scenes.

  • Supporting cast are also pretty good here, with Michael Pena in particular seemingly understanding that the tone of this movie requires him to play his role nice and obnoxiously loud.

  • Alexandra Shipp; as Cate. How do you not get charmed by her here?

  • It essentially has a good theme and message that’s worth rooting for.

NEGATIVES…

  • Just in case you aren’t able to figure out that good theme and message, the movie constantly hits you over the head with it. Expect to have your eyes roll constantly at how obvious it is.

  • As much as Alexandra Shipp is great in this, her character is as tropey as can be. Heck, almost all the characters are tropey.

  • Remember how I gave Michael Pena recognition for going broke with his character’s outlandish personality? Yeah, I can imagine people not liking that at all.

  • Speaking of which, humor is hit or miss, depending on your tastes.

  • What’s worse is that half the movie is dedicated to the “romantic” aspect of this romantic comedy, and completely grinds the funny scenes to a screeching halt. Sorry Cate, but can I just go back to Jexi making fun of Phil?

  • For an 80 something minutes movie, it somehow felt longer than it had to be…

  • Yes, the movie is predictably predictable, cliched up the wazoo, and illogical in many stupid ways.

P.S….

  • There’s a scene involving plugging in the phone to charge it, that’s just…

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Gemini Man

POSITIVES…

  • I genuinely liked the cast in this movie, and thought the characters they played were pretty solid. Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Benedict Wong, Clive Owen, and Will Smith.

  • The CGI character that is the younger looking Will Smith is a marvel to see on screen, and is one of the main reasons to see this film.

  • While there’s a familiarity to the premise, I was still compelled enough to see it through the end.

  • A particular chase sequence was pretty fun to watch play out on screen.

  • There’s also a battle in a convenience store that was also pretty entertaining.

  • I should note that I did see this in the 3D+ HFR (High Frame Format), and wow did it make my time watching what is essentially a standard action film into a visually eye popping experience.

  • Director Ang Lee’s decision to use a lot of first person perspectives, and close ups, actually helped enhance that 3D+ HFR experience even more. In fact, I think it’s the only visual format that you should see this movie in.

  • This film is a great example of what good 3D and High Frame Rate looks like. HFR simply fixes the majority of problems people have with 3D.

  • There is a particular plot trope that they could have gone with the story, but I am grateful that they didn’t. I’d like to specifically point out what that is, but no spoilers here.

NEGATIVES…

  • Movie is filled with multiple familiar plot cliches.

  • Despite the futuristic sci-fi notions of clones, the whole movie just feels outdated, in story, tone, and pacing.

  • Beyond the visual technical prowess, this movie is still your serviceable yet derivative standard action thriller that you might have found in the ‘90s or early 2000s.

  • Considering the premise, the story had potential to be much more interesting than what we actually got. I can just imagine movie goers feeling so bored with this due to the familiarity of it all.

  • As impressive as CGI young Will Smith is, he’s nowhere near perfect at all. He still looks unbelievable half of the times he is on screen, in that uncanny valley way, his movements, and simply the way he just looks “fake” at times. Hollywood actors don’t have to be worried too much at this point.

  • The conclusion to the movie kinda felt flat and unsatisfying. The final action beat essentially ended in a whimper, and follows that with a scene that’s so cloyingly precious that it’s eye-rolling worthy.

  • Considering I have seen Ang Lee’s previous attempt at a 3D HFR movie with “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” I bemoan the fact that I was only able to see Gemini Man in 3D 60FPS HFR. I wanted that full 3D 120FPS HFR experience that I was lucky enough to witness in Billy Lynn.

  • Your experience may also be negatively impacted further if 3D+ HFR is not a format you can get used to.

P.S….

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

First Love (Hatsukoi)

POSITIVES…

  • Oh Director Takashi Miike, you always come up with some of the most craziest Japanese movies I’ve seen, and this one is a good example of that. Thank you.

  • The premise is deceptively simple, but opens up into this convoluted story, that only makes the movie better for it.

  • This is one of those movies where divergent plot lines eventually merge up into one crazy plot line. That’s why this is fun to watch.

  • The series of unfortunate coincidences and events that makes the zany plot lines even more zany, is why this movie is so entertaining to watch.

  • I liked the movie’s sense of humor. The comedy here ranges from slapstick, to dark, and violent. Good stuff.

  • One of the best set pieces involves multiple characters fighting each other. Hand to hand combat. Guns against guns. Sword against sword. It does all that. It was awesome.

  • There’s that one scene where that one character encourages the other character to trust in Japanese cars, and then proceeds to do something enjoyably unbelievable.

  • Speaking of characters I don’t want to spoil who they are, but there are characters in this one that really stand out more than others. Awesome cast.

NEGATIVES…

  • The beginning exposition scenes that introduces each characters, kinda dragged out a little bit longer than I would prefer.

  • As big of an ensemble cast as it is, this film is simply unable to completely flesh out all the characters properly.

  • There are odd plot points found in the movie that people may not exactly appreciate.

  • Some characters just do the most stupid things. Hope those don’t break your suspension of disbelief too much.

  • Logic? This movie laughs at the face of logic. Power up your suspension of disbelief.

  • No surprise I suppose, but the female characters aren’t exactly shown in the most positive light.

P.S….

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Brittany Runs A Marathon

POSITIVES…

  • Jillian Bell. She is fantastic here. It’s hard not to root for her to have a positive outcome by the end of this story. Gotta love her snarkiness in this movie as well.

  • Utkarsh Ambudkar. He is very entertaining in this. Part of the fun of this movie is the chemistry he has with Jillian Bell’s character. Gotta love their banter.

  • Michaela Watkins. How can you not love her in this? I just want to give her a high-five for always being good in all the supporting roles she tends to get in movies.

  • While it’s easy to enjoy this film just because of the cast; proven by my previous three positive picks, the story is also very effective as a dramedy. Joy. Laughter. Sadness. Hits you with all the right emotions. Inspirational even.

  • Has some good surprises and plot turns, to keep you hooked into the movie.

  • If a movie about running is able to give you the feeling like you want to take up running yourself, then does that means the movie is even more of a success?

NEGATIVES…

  • Despite it being “based on the true story,” it’s still susceptible to hit some derivative plot tropes.

  • There were a couple of scenes that were cringe worthy, to the point of it being too cliche. Maybe it was true though?

  • Some plot lines weren’t completely resolved to my liking.

  • Not necessarily a movie that I would consider to be very cinematic looking… if you know what I mean.

P.S….

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Judy

POSITIVES…

  • Renee Zellweger. WHAT. A. PERFORMANCE. From the way she plays the role of Judy Garland and tackles all the emotions that comes with it, plus the fact she did a splendid job singing all the songs, Renee Zellweger absolutely deserves all the recognition and awards that comes from this.

  • The whole film sinks or swims purely on Renee Zellweger. She made this movie. You watch this movie for her.

  • Renee Zellweger gets a lot of great lines to say in this film. You’ll either shed a tear, or be entertained, by some of the things she says here.

  • I’d like to also give praise to her supporting cast, from Darci Shaw as young Judy, Jessie Buckley as Rosalyn Wilder, Finn Wittrock as Mickey Deans, and many more. Excellent cast all around.

  • While the premise and the plot progression is generally a familiar affair, it’s easy to just get sucked in to the story anyway.

  • That ending scene. Cliche or predictable, whatever, I was emotionally hooked. One of the highlights of the movie, if not THE highlight.

  • There are several memorable scenes that will either break your heart, or put a smile on your face.

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s a generally straightforward biopic drama, which comes with all the usual plot tropes you expect.

  • There’s a simplicity to the production design that can make you think like this could have been a straight to home video release.

  • I have to just acknowledged that some of the more emotionally moving moments in the movie felt a bit contrived.

P.S….

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Joker

POSITIVES…

  • Simply put, watch this movie for the phenomenal performance by Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck. Such raw emotions and madness displayed on screen.

  • “Man vs the world, and goes on a downward spiral of violence” premise for this film is a solid piece of psychological drama, and character study. Think Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” meets Schumacher’s “Falling Down.”

  • I respect how dark, provocative, and violent, this story was willing to go. No cartoon deaths here.

  • Some scenes are quite memorable and provocative.

  • What this story does with the Joker’s laugh is an interesting take for sure.

  • By the end of the movie, I felt horrified by how the final act played out, and I’m sure that’s the intended reaction. Bravo.

  • The other main reason to see this would be the “more realistic” depiction of what the origin story of the comic book character Joker could be.

  • Speaking of comic books… there’s surprisingly a good amount of Batman mythology related references and easter eggs in this movie.

  • Oh, and despite how deathly serious this story is, there are actually a handful of comedic moments that managed to thankfully lighten the mood a little bit, if only so briefly.

NEGATIVES…

  • People going in thinking they are getting a fun entertaining comic book movie will be very disappointed.

  • The comic book mythology parts of the movie were pretty distracting.

  • As provocative as the overall theme of the story is, it’s not exactly a deeply unfamiliar subject matter. Especially if you’ve seen enough of these kinds of stories.

  • There’s one particular quick exposition montage scene that seemed like the movie didn’t respect the audience enough to understand the reveal without explicitly showing it. I just had to roll my eyes when that happened.

  • Some logical flaws in certain scenes took me out of the movie.

  • Misguided sociopathic people might use this movie as an excuse to cause violence.

P.S….

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Villains

POSITIVES…

  • I genuinely like the premise of pitting small time criminals against more twisted criminals.

  • That contrast and chemistry between the two main couples is infinitely fascinating, and is what ultimately makes this movie worth watching.

  • There are plot turns in this that are pleasantly surprising, if not completely WTF moments.

  • A lot of the dialogue between the characters are fun to listen to, and there’s a lot of conversations here.

  • Bill Skarsgård. Fantastic in this. Plays his role a little over the top, but it works for his character.

  • Maika Monroe. Charming and loveable. The heart of the movie, and oddly enough the most “stable” of the four main characters?

  • Jeffrey Donovan. I love this guy! Such a fascinating character that he is playing, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off him, because I just don’t exactly know what he is going to say or do.

  • Kyra Sedgwick. Amazingly wacky. Kudos on throwing herself completely into this role. Just like with Donovan’s character, I loved how unpredictable she could be.

  • Just gotta like how weird and odd this movie is.

NEGATIVES…

  • There seems to be a purposeful bit of overacting by the actors, which might annoy some people.

  • It’s a “bottle episode” and some people may not like that either.

  • There are plot turns and dialogue bits that may come off as being superficially clever at times, or generally too precious for its own good.

  • It may seem a little unfair for me to say this, but I wish this movie had a bigger budget to make the premise come more alive than what we already got.

P.S….

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Official Secrets

POSITIVES…

  • It’s a whistleblower true story that people should know about.

  • Keira Knightley is pretty solid here, and seemed like she really threw herself convincely into the role of Katharine Gun.

  • As a movie with a huge ensemble cast with limited screen times, a few others like Matt Smith and Ralph Feinnes manage to stand out with their strong performances.

  • I was able to appropriately feel the drama and the tension of this story, and I was quite hooked to see how it all plays out.

  • Needless to say, by the conclusion of the movie, it should give you some interesting food for thought.

  • As a movie based on a true story that I wasn’t familiar with, I was captivated by the plot turns and surprises that was shown in this.

NEGATIVES…

  • If you already know the true story, the surprising plot turns just won’t be “surprising” at all, and kinda deflates those big reveals.

  • The movie is very very straightforward and not really Directed with too much style, which some might argue makes it feel dull.

  • Some people don’t like watching movies where the majority of it are just people talking to each other. Well this is one of those movies.

P.S….

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