Ford v Ferrari

POSITIVES…

  • Bar none, the racing scenes, or just about any scenes where cars are going really fast, were very exhilarating to see on screen. Be careful about getting that urge to drive fast in real life, because this movie will definitely make you want to do just that.

  • Besides the generous amount of fun race scenes, it’s the strength of the characters that’s at the heart of what makes this movie great.

  • Matt Damon is excellent as Carroll Shelby, and Christian Bale is absolutely fantastic as the tough as nails Ken Miles.

  • The chemistry and interactions between Shelby and Miles were very entertaining to watch, and is one of the big draws in seeing this movie.

  • Supporting casts were excellent too. From the always reliably good Tracy Letts as Henry Ford II, the very solid Ray McKinnon as Phil Remington, to the incredible Caitriona Balfe as Mollie Miles.

  • Speaking of Caitriona Balfe, one of my most favorite sequences was the one involving Ken and Mollie in their car having an energetic conversation. Yes, it involves a car moving really fast too.

  • If it isn’t obvious yet, if you’re a fan of cars and racing, see this movie. Even if you’re not a fan of cars and racing, you should see this movie anyway.

NEGATIVES…

  • Liberties and omissions are still very much present, much to the chagrin of the racing purists out there.

  • A couple of the primary antagonists in this story are too conveniently hateable.

  • I suppose that despite the fact that this is based on history, this underdog sports story can still be easily seen as derivative, that’s filled with familiar plot tropes.

P.S….

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Midway

POSITIVES…

  • A fairly accurate narrative of the Pacific War during World War II. History buffs should appreciate that.

  • The visuals of the battles are a wonder to look at. Seeing planes flying through a barrage of artillery fire is quite the sight.

  • Ensemble cast are generally solid, with highlights by Ed Skrein, Luke Evans, Patrick Wilson, Keean Johnson, and Dennis Quaid.

  • I admire the fact that the story doesn’t just show the war through the point of view of the Americans, but also from the perspective of the Japanese.

  • Thematically all about heroism and sacrifice. We can all get behind that.

NEGATIVES…

  • I really would rather watch a documentary than this again, because the screenplay just doesn’t cut it for a movie.

  • If anything else, the film-makers should have just considered making this into a TV series about the Pacific War, like HBO’s “The Pacific.”

  • It’s like the movie took out the dramatized visual segments from a documentary series about the Pacific War, and then just lazily stitched them together to form a full length movie.

  • Either that, or this felt like an abbreviated version of a full TV series, but condensed into a movie time length. We shouldn’t settle for that.

  • The plot just jumps from one place to another, as if it’s just checking off boxes about the series of events. Constantly feels like it’s missing entire sections or story beats, in between the scenes that we actually do get to see.

  • Due to how the plot narrative is laid out, the tone is all over the place. It shouldn’t transition a dramatic tense battle, and then immediately follow it up with a casual scene involving a party.

  • Speaking of the battles. Way too short for my taste. It gets going, and then it’s suddenly done.

  • Besides a handful of the main characters, the rest of the cast are hardly fleshed out at all, despite the fact that we are clearly supposed to care about them when they are put in dramatic situations.

  • I also found a recurring manipulative theme involving the fact that everybody else but our highlighted characters are incompetent. Pandering to the audience much?

  • Did this have Mandy Moore play Ann Best, just because the movie needed to have a female character? Talk about filling out check boxes.

  • Despite the fact that this is based on real life, the movie itself still can’t help but feel derivative, that’s filled with plot cliches, and plot holes.

  • Should be pointed out that there are still some liberties taken about the characters and the events, so History buffs might complain of it not being 100% accurate.

P.S….

loveditenjoyeditlikedititsokay IT’S MEH itsterrible

Doctor Sleep

POSITIVES…

  • Screenwriter Director Mike Flanagan does one of the best movie adaptations to a Stephen King novel that I’ve ever seen.

  • There’s a deliberate and careful pacing, that actually compliments the narrative really well.

  • Due to how Flanagan lays out the plotting, there’s a pleasantly surprising epic feel to the story from beginning until the end.

  • Some of the set pieces were just fantastic to watch, and one of the highlights starts with a flying sequence.

  • Speaking of which, there are some camera techniques in this that were visually incredible.

  • It’s a 2 hours and 30 minutes movie, and I actually wanted it to be longer!

  • Fans of “The Shining” (in all its many different forms) will find several things to like in this.

  • Ewan McGregor is solid as the adult Danny, and have some cool hero moments that I appreciated seeing.

  • Kyliegh Curran is fearless as Abra Stone, and that made me enjoy her character even more.

  • Rebecca Ferguson as “Rose The Hat” was the main highlight for me though. Her screen presence and the playfulness she gives her character is spectacular to see on screen.

  • Solid performances by the other supporting cast, like Zahn McClarnon, Cliff Curtis, and Carl Lumbly.

  • Like Stephen King, I wasn’t that big a fan of Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of “The Shining,” but I liked how this Doctor Sleep adaptation integrates that 1980 movie into this.

NEGATIVES…

  • People expecting this to be a horror disturbing scare fest might actually be disappointed.

  • That deliberate and careful pacing might not be for everybody.

  • A bit more fan service for “the Shining” fans than you may actually have wanted.

  • How it ends might be a let down for some people.

  • Of course it still takes liberties and changes from the source materials, so people will complain.

P.S….

LOVED IT enjoyeditlikedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

Terminator Dark Fate

POSITIVES…

  • As a sci-fi action thriller, I thought this movie delivered big time.

  • I would say about 90 percent of the movie are action thriller set pieces, from exciting chase sequences, to brutal physical combat.

  • Favorite action sequence is probably the first act of this movie. Oh, there’s a plane set piece that was pretty cool too.

  • I like the character design of the Rev-9 Terminator, which looks like a literal combination of the T-800 and the T-1000.

  • Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor. Still kicks ass, but now even more grumpy. How can you not like her and her attitude in this?

  • Arnold Schwarzenegger is back as a T-800 Terminator, but different. What’s still the same though is that just about all the one-liners were given to him.

  • Mackenzie Davis as Grace steals the whole movie though. What an amazing badass of a woman. The pure physicality for the role she plays is incredible. She’s the real reason to see this movie.

  • Oh, and despite the action and the characters, there’s a story in this one too. It’s serviceable as can be, but they are going in a welcome direction that I am open to.

NEGATIVES…

  • Despite some new changes to the franchise, the plot and story is essentially lifted from the previous films.

  • Speaking of changes… Something happens at the beginning of the movie that will probably annoy many in the fandom.

  • Natalia Reyes’ “Dani Ramos” could use a bit more writing to fully flesh out her character.

  • As awesome as Gabriel Luna is as the Rev-9 Terminator, he’s not exactly the most memorable villain.

  • Certain events in this movie really pushes that suspension of disbelief, especially when considering real-world considerations.

P.S….

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the Lighthouse

POSITIVES…

  • As simple as the premise may seem, it really goes above and beyond what you should expect, and it’s much more entertaining because of that.

  • It’s a dark comedy. It’s got some genuinely laugh out loud moments. It’s awkwardly funny?

  • The plot progression can get hypnotizing to watch, as you’ll really want to see the whole thing play out.

  • Even for it’s old black & white square aspect ratio look, there are some arresting visuals to behold in this.

  • Prepare for some visual shots to just stick with you.

  • Robert Pattinson is fantastic in this, and really captures a man who is brought to the brink of insanity.

  • Willem Dafoe is amazing in this, and has several of the best monologues you would find in movies this year.

  • The antagonistic chemistry that Pattinson and Dafoe has together is so damn entertaining to see in the movie. They make this film worth watching.

  • “what” <- love that scene

  • It’s bonkers.

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s bonkers.

  • Willem Dafoe’s cadence and delivery of his lines and jargons makes me wish I was using closed captioning.

  • The old style black & white look and square aspect ratio is not for everybody.

  • There are pacing and editing quirks for some of the scenes.

P.S….

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

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.

loveditenjoyeditlikedititsokay IT’S MEH itsterrible

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….

loveditenjoyeditlikedititsokay IT’S MEH itsterrible

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