21 Bridges

POSITIVES…

  • I think it’s safe to say that no matter how good or bad a movie is, Chadwick Boseman is without a doubt going to be great in it. That rule applies here too. It’s like Boseman immediately makes a movie better than it actually is with the work and talent he puts into it. If it isn’t already obvious, the main reason to watch this movie is for Chadwick Boseman.

  • Supporting cast from Stephan James, Taylor Kitsch, Sienna Miller, to J.K. Simmons, are all good in this too.

  • The cat and mouse, action thriller, crime mystery narrative makes this generally entertaining enough to keep watching.

  • Gotta also admit that closing off Manhattan island is a pretty compelling idea.

NEGATIVES…

  • Well this is as derivative as it gets. The plot. The themes. The reveals. All you’ve seen before.

  • The story is as predictable as can be, and relies on the primary plot caveat just a little too much.

  • BTW, the main crime mystery itself is a little out there to take too seriously. Really tries hard to make you work to suspend your disbelief.

  • Conclusion of the movie felt a bit too indulgent in how it’s trying to hammer home the lesson of the story just a little too conveniently.

P.S….

loveditenjoyeditlikedit IT’S OKAY itsmehitsterrible

Frozen II

POSITIVES…

  • Finally gives Elsa a proper conclusion to the story arc she started from the previous installment.

  • Anna also gets to have more character growth that addresses a plot point started from the first movie.

  • Speaking of Anna and Elsa, the two sisters are truly the heart and soul of this movie, possibly even more so than they were in 2013’s “Frozen.” There’s a narrative touch added to their sisterhood that strengthens the fact that they are one of the best characters to come out of Disney this decade.

  • The whole voice cast in generally are great in this.

  • As for the story itself, it feels like the filmmakers were aware that six years have passed between the two installments, and thus the story is just a bit more complex and thoughtful, which gives the kids who are now six years older more things to think about.

  • I quite enjoyed the more ambitious themes and more unconventional story in this installment.

  • Has some good humor, adventure, mystery, and drama. There are some heavy plot turns here that I also truly appreciated.

  • Several good set pieces and comedic bits. Some memorable scenes here and there.

  • Visually amazing to watch. Beautiful work done by the animators.

  • The songs were great, in that the lyrics seemed more insightful and are integrated into the story much more purposefully. My favorites were “Lost In The Woods,” “Show Yourself,” and “The Next Right Thing.”

  • Having a water spirit horse is pretty cool.

NEGATIVES…

  • The songs are admittedly just not as catchy or pop-friendly as the songs were in 2013’s “Frozen.” There is no “Let It Go” equivalent here.

  • Some plot conveniences and questionable plot holes prop up here and there.

  • There were also certain plot ideas and new characters, that could have been more developed.

  • Speaking of which, there’s a plot development at the end of the movie that some people will not like.

  • Olaf. Either you like him or you don’t.

  • There were a surprising amount of easter egg call backs to the previous installment. I know six years has passed, but this movie kinda overdid it.

P.S….

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

POSITIVES…

  • Tom Hanks as Mr Rogers is absolutely fantastic. Amazing performance!

  • Matthew Rhys is also excellent as our cynical and abrasive audience surrogate Lloyd Vogel, and makes a good example of how Mr Rogers can affect people in a positive way.

  • The supporting cast from Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Cooper, and Enrico Colantoni, were also good in this.

  • I appreciated the delicate balance in tone and drama that was achieved here, that keeps it from getting too precious and trite.

  • Loved all the little bits showcasing how strangers react to the presence of Mr Rogers. Heck, any scene with Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers were definitely awe inspiring.

  • Gotta love the miniatures shown in this film. Make sure to stick around during the end credits for more.

  • With this movie, and just as with the documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” everybody should be exposed to the themes and lessons that Mr Rogers relays to us.

  • Like Mr Rogers, this movie is inspirational in all the right ways. I suppose just as this film was inspired by the article “Can You Say… Hero?” by Tom Junod, which it too was inspired by Mr Rogers. Full circle right there.

NEGATIVES…

  • Not a true negative towards the movie, but there will be people who will be disappointed that the main protagonist for this story is actually not Mr Rogers.

  • The “gentle” pacing might not be for everybody either.

  • It’s not exactly an unpredictable narrative by any means, so expect certain familiar plot tropes to come up.

  • Some of the plot developments may also feel a bit manipulative or at least too convenient.

  • The last moments before the end credits came up felt tonally “off” to me.

P.S….

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Charlie's Angels (2019)

POSITIVES…

  • This franchise has always been a guilty pleasure concept, and this version arguably lives up to that ideal in entertaining directions.

  • The three main leads are solid in this, and have good chemistry together. Easily the main reason to check this movie out.

  • Naomi Scott is charming and adorable as our audience surrogate. Ella Balinska carries herself with a good physical screen presence. Kristen Stewart is fun to watch playing her easy going “I’m here to have a good time” role (just about has all the best lines in the movie).

  • There’s a heist set piece that involves blonde wigs that I thought was enjoyable to see play out.

  • Ultimately, this is a light-hearted action spy adventure, that doesn’t have to be taken too seriously. If you find that entertaining, then there you go.

NEGATIVES…

  • It should have been taken more seriously, because what we end up getting are some good ideas that end up half-hearted in execution.

  • The writing is just lazy, and throws logic out the window quite often, that it killed my suspension of disbelief multiple times.

  • Plot conveniences. Plot cliches. Plot manipulations.

  • Doesn’t help that the movie feels like it’s over indulging itself too much, to the detriment of the final product.

  • Patrick Stewart felt like he was just phoning it in. How does that happen?

  • Action sequences could have been more exciting to watch. Especially considering that it’s suppose to be one of the main points in seeing this movie.

  • The ultimate problem with this movie is that despite it’s good intentions, it just ended up being a mostly average action spy flick.

P.S….

loveditenjoyeditlikedit IT’S OKAY itsmehitsterrible

Jojo Rabbit

POSITIVES…

  • I don’t know about you, but I’m able to be entertained by a comedic satirical take on the Nazi, and this movie does it very well.

  • Comedy is subjective, but I genuinely felt like almost all the jokes landed really well.

  • I thoroughly liked a lot of the clever dialogue and conversation pieces.

  • Amusing physical comedy and visual gags.

  • Tickled my funny bone in all the right ways, and moved me emotionally in powerful ways.

  • Fantastic premise of a movie, filled with memorable scenes and set pieces.

  • The narrative manages to takes me on this captivating journey from the beginning of the movie, all the way until the very end.

  • At the heart of this film are the characters, and the story utilizes them masterfully.

  • Kudos to young actor Roman Griffin Davis for absolutely carrying the weight of the whole movie as Jojo; the innocently naive Nazi fanatic. This kid is fantastic to watch.

  • Brava to Thomasin McKenzie as Elsa. How could you not get absolutely charmed by her in this? Captivating performance! Her interactions with Jojo are truly delightful.

  • I was wowed by the kinetic energy that Scarlett Johansson brings to this movie as Jojo’s Mother Rosie. Possibly one of my most favorite performance of ScarJo’s whole career.

  • Taika Waititi as Jojo’s imaginary friend Adolf Hitler. Perfectly over-the-top and in your face performance. From buffoonery to terrifying, this Hitler is entertaining to watch as heck.

  • Shout outs to some great supporting work by Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant, and Archie Yates. Movie wouldn’t have been complete without their additions to the story.

  • Despite the fact that this deals with the heavy, dark, and sensitive subject matter about the Nazi, I gotta agree with the tagline found in the marketing material. This is an “anti-hate satire.” Thematic wise, this story succeeds with that goal, and because of that, I encourage everyone to go check out this movie.

NEGATIVES…

  • Some will take offense at the light-hearted depictions of the Nazi.

  • Might get too outrageous for some.

  • There are tonal changes that might throw people off.

  • A little bit of plot conveniences and familiar plot tropes.

P.S….

LOVED IT enjoyeditlikedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

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….

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

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….

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

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