Black and Blue

POSITIVES…

  • Naomie Harris giving one hundred percent to her role here as Officer Alicia West. Easily the best thing about this film.

  • There are some thrilling action suspense sequences.

  • The point of this movie has it’s heart in the right place.

NEGATIVES…

  • The themes for this movie just hits you over the head with how obvious and unsubtle it all is.

  • Generally predictable, and filled with plot cliches.

  • Stereotypes are strong with this movie.

  • There are unbelievable moments in the story, that makes some convenient plot turns come off as “cheating.”

  • The final act… plays off like you expect it to go. Talk about familiar plot tropes.

  • Beau Knapp’s character. Kinda annoying.

P.S….

  • It’s hard not to think of Luke Cage whenever I see Mike Colter in this.

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Countdown

POSITIVES…

  • While a bit silly, the premise works decently well for me, I guess...

  • It’s got lots of jump scares. Kudos for not being mostly cheap scares, as the movie appropriately telegraphs when a jump scare is going to happen. For the fun factor, the jump scares were effective I suppose.

  • Elizabeth Lail as Quinn Harris, plays a good protagonist for a scary / horror movie like this.

  • The supporting “funny” characters like Tom Segura as Derek, and P.J. Byrne as Father John were entertaining enough.

NEGATIVES…

  • The premise is really super silly and kinda pushes the boundaries of being totally stupid ridiculous.

  • Stupid stupid characters doing stupid stupid things. Haven’t they heard the saying “Curiosity kills the cat?”

  • You know those eye-rolling moments when certain characters should tell somebody about something important, but decides not to say something, just because, even if that’s a counter productive decision to make? THIS movie.

  • Plot conveniences, just for the sake of the fact the story needs to continue.

  • The “what if” plot holes that the story generates in your own imagination breaks the whole movie.

  • Do try to keep your suspension of disbelief… if you can.

  • That whole subplot involving Peter Facinelli… did we really need that? bleah

  • Final act pushed things to ludicrous levels that the movie was too lazy to bother explaining how the characters could possibly properly explain what happened to them to resolve that dangling plot line. Ignore it? How about they just don’t put themselves in a situation that only causes more problems with the story?!

  • I wanted to give the middle finger to the very last shot of the movie.

P.S….

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Parasite (Gisaengchung)

POSITIVES…

  • Arguably might be Director Bong Joon Ho’s best film ever so far.

  • I love how Bong Joon Ho handles the topic of class divide in this story, plus all the thematic and symbolic layers scattered throughout the movie. Somebody, quick, do a deep dive youtube video on everything this film has to say.

  • Thought provoking. For sure!

  • It’s a comedy. It’s a dark comedy. It’s a satirical drama. It’s intense. It’s shocking. It’s tragic. Needless to say, the movie plays around with different tones and genre-styles, but does so expertly.

  • The story took me places that absolutely kept my eyes glued to the screen at all times. That and I needed to read subtitles.

  • The setup to the premise. That major plot turn. That final act. That epilogue. The execution of all that got a lot of praise from me.

  • Excellent script with some very clever (and very quotable) dialogue, ideas that was able to catch me off guard, and plot setups that entertained me greatly.

  • Some of the set pieces were just amazing to see play out, that I was just impressed by the film making.

  • It’s got a great ensemble cast, and their chemistry together produced some fantastic interactions.

  • If I was to pick out one specific actor who stood out just a bit more, Yeo-Jeong Jo as Mrs Park really brought a lot to this movie, all in the most subtle ways.

  • Visually, there are many beautiful shots and scenes found here. Memorable imagery. Excellent cinematography and editing!

  • Anecdotal evidence and all, but my whole theater couldn’t help but me shocked in silence once the end credits started. We were that affected by this film.

NEGATIVES…

  • Even while nuanced, it still obviously hits you over the head with some of the major thematic social commentaries.

  • There are some unbelievable choices made and little bits of over exaggeration that took me out of the movie, even if just for a second.

  • Some people would prefer not to have to read english subtitles...

P.S….

LOVED IT enjoyeditlikedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

Maleficent : Mistress Of Evil

POSITIVES…

  • By far, the best thing about this movie is Angelina Jolie as Maleficent. She looks amazing. She’s given the best lines out of everybody. She’s given a welcome sense of humor that works. She’s involved in all the best scenes in this whole thing.

  • Michelle Pfeiffer was pretty good in her role too.

  • Some gorgeous cinematography and set designs here.

  • There’s a scene during the first act, and one scene during the last act, that I genuinely liked.

  • I can get behind some of the themes this movie touches on.

  • The improvements made to the Angelina Jolie version of Maleficent makes me almost forgive the previous movie entry.

NEGATIVES…

  • nah, the stench from the first movie unfortunately still resonates in this installment

  • There are some sequences that were just CGI barf.

  • Those fairy aunts characters? They need to make better CGI designs for them.

  • Plot conveniences. Cheaters.

  • Poorly written characters. Can’t they make them more believable?

  • Some lazy writing all around here.

  • Without saying a spoiler… A certain somebody is just the worst Queen ever! So frustrating to watch.

  • Also without saying a spoiler… Most convoluted and unnecessary method of killing certain characters. How did that make sense?

  • No spoilers once again… That’s an embarrassingly poor attack plan. What did they think was going to happen?

  • Just one more no spoilers reaction… How stupid can they be? Applies to multiple scenes and characters.

  • Remember how I said that the best thing about this is Angelina Jolie as Maleficent? How was it possible that she actually didn’t get as much screen time as she should have, for a character that has her name in the movie title?

P.S….

loveditenjoyeditlikedit IT’S OKAY itsmehitsterrible

Zombieland 2

POSITIVES…

  • If you’re already a fan of Zombieland or comedic zombie movies in general, then it won’t be such a terrible thing to see this.

  • The “rules” thing with the Columbus character continues to still be one of the best aspects of Zombieland.

  • I absolutely love the fact that this Zombieland world is stuck in 2009, even though it’s years past the first movie. The self-aware meta jokes that pokes fun of that fact are pretty entertaining. For one thing, look at the phones.

  • Comedy is subjective, but there were some good laughs to be had. I definitely enjoyed the recurring gags that runs throughout the movie.

  • The whole set pieces involving Luke Wilson and Thomas Middleditch were one of the best things in this movie.

  • Zoey Deutch however is the MVP of this film. She adds a really welcome energy to this. Most of the best laughs I had was because of her character.

  • Out of the remaining cast members, Woody Harrelson still brings it with his big personality. Tallahassee continues to be a fun character. The rest; Eissenberg, Stone, Breslin, were solid enough for their roles.

  • The bonus scene during the end credits. Fan service? Sure. However, it was still good fan service.

NEGATIVES…

  • Telling for the times, but this movie doesn’t really add anything new to the self-aware comedic zombie movie genre. Some will go so far and say that this is a pretty forgettable zombie film.

  • Cliches. Derivative plot tropes. Predictable. The story moves along as you expect things to go.

  • Disappointingly nonsensical at times.

  • Although a subjective opinion, the comedy is definitely hit or miss in this.

  • Plays things too safe for my taste?

  • As much as I love Metallica, the use of “Master Of Puppets” during the intro credits just didn’t really fit.

P.S….

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

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….

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

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….

loveditenjoyeditlikedititsokay IT’S MEH itsterrible

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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