Vivarium

POSITIVES…

  • Weird. Creepy. Mysterious. Nightmarish. Kafkaesque. I appreciate this movie’s attempts to put me through the wringer.

  • The tone and feel of this film is like the Twilight Zone or Black Mirror. So if you like those two shows, maybe this is going to be worth watching for you.

  • It’s not afraid to introduce some horror elements to keep the suspense and thriller aspects going.

  • Imogen Poots as Gemma and Jesse Eisenberg as Tom were solid in this together, but it’s Poots’ character Gemma that’s really strong and grounds this film.

  • I liked the little small charming moments between the two leads.

  • With a story as bizarre and suffocating as this is, the film succeeded in making me feel really invested with what happens to Gemma and Tom.

  • The premise is oddly like self-quarantining and social distancing in many ways. At least if you watch the movie with that in mind, it’ll probably make things more interesting.

NEGATIVES…

  • Felt like the movie was too long, even at 98 mins.

  • There will be people complaining about how the story concludes.

  • Elements of this movie will probably annoy you.

  • If you are somebody who gets impatient, then this might not be the movie for you.

  • It’s hard not to feel frustrated with this movie, as the sense of wanting to decide things for the characters is just too hard to resist.

P.S….

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

You Can Watch It Now On VIDEO ON DEMAND

Big Time Adolescence

POSITIVES…

  • As a coming-of-age story, I genuinely feel like there’s merit to watching this if you are a teenager.

  • There’s also merit in watching this, if you are a twenty-something, still trying to grasp adulthood.

  • There are certain discussions, situations, and characters, in this film, that you might find familiar in your own real life. You’ll likely find something to relate with here, and it will keep you engaged to see where the story goes.

  • Griffin Gluck is good as Mo, and is a solid protagonist that we can sympathize with. You’ll only want what’s best for the guy.

  • Pete Davidson is arguably too perfectly believable playing Mo’s slacker several years older best friend Zeke. Great work by Davidson here. It’s like he really gets his character. Was that a backhanded compliment? :-D

  • Jon Cryer as Mo’s Dad. He’s really good in this movie. Loved all the scenes he was in.

  • As one of the best young actresses around, Oona Laurence steals every scene she is in as Sophie. Fantastic work by Laurence here.

  • Shout out to Sydney Sweeney as Holly. Charming and delightful as heck.

  • I enjoyed the creative themes for the parties featured in this movie.

NEGATIVES…

  • Considering the very slacker deadbeat characters that are very prevalent in this movie, it took me a while to warm up to the story. You might just find several of these characters annoying and hard to put up with.

  • It also took some suspension of disbelief to buy some elements of the story’s premise.

  • Not exactly the most unique coming-of-age story around. Has your derivative plot turns, cliche moments, and convenient situations.

  • Felt like the whole movie should have been more memorable than it actually is.

  • Definitely needed more Oona Laurence, and Sydney Sweeney. Definitely.

P.S….

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

You Can Watch It Now On HULU

Blow The Man Down

POSITIVES…

  • As a crime thriller, this one can be a lot of fun.

  • There are several plot turns and reveals that keep the story moving. They should hook you enough to want to find out how it all concludes.

  • This movie revolves around this strong ensemble cast of colorful characters, located in this small Maine fishing town, and the feeling of familiarity really gives a nice atmosphere and intimate tone to the whole thing.

  • Kudos to the solid cast! Sophie Lowe, Morgan Saylor, Meredith Holzman, June Squibb, Will Brittain, and…

  • …Margo Martindale. As expected she is great in this, and steals the movie from everyone.

  • The sea shanty songs that act as chapter breaks were delightful to listen to.

NEGATIVES…

  • The pacing might be too slow for some people.

  • It’s got this whole low budget indie vibe to it that also might not grab some people’s attention.

  • Probably could have used just a little bit more something something to make this little movie more memorable than what it already is.

P.S….

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Watch It Now On Amazon Prime Video

Freaks

POSITIVES…

  • I know it’s just right there for you to click on but DO NOT WATCH THE TRAILER!!! If you managed to not read into or watched the promotional trailer for this, then this will come off as a fun wild ride of “wait, what’s going on?”

  • If you’re a fan of genre movies, sci-fi, horror, drama, comic books, etc… then this is something you really should check out.

  • One of the main draws is how there are so many plot turns in this movie, as it likes to keep you on your toes on the direction of the story.

  • It’s mysterious. It’s suspenseful. It’s creepy. It’s thrilling. It’s exciting. It’s overall very engaging, as you’re going to want to see what happens to the characters.

  • For a low-budget film, there were some impressively creative and spectacular ways of doing the special effects.

  • This has a good final act that rewards your time seeing through the whole movie.

  • Kudos to the strong performances by Emile Hirsch, and Bruce Dern, but it’s Lexy Kolker as Chloe that’s simply amazing and is the true heart of this movie that keeps you completely invested.

NEGATIVES…

  • If you have prior knowledge of what the movie is about, there is a sense of frustration and impatience putting up with how the story takes it’s time with the reveals that you probably want to already get to immediately.

  • Actually, even if you don’t have prior knowledge going in, that build up into the reveals might still get you frustrated and impatient. I suppose if you don’t like mysteries, then this might not be the movie for you.

  • Can these plot turns be considered manipulative to the audience? Maybe. Depends on your point of view.

  • Despite the freshness that this movie has, the general plot isn’t exactly devoid of relying on plot tropes, cliches, and generally derivative story ideas. There’s definitely a franchise out there that will get a direct comparison to this movie.

P.S….

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

You Can Watch It Now On NETFLIX

Lost Girls

POSITIVES…

  • This is a memorable story based on a true events that deserves your attention.

  • If you are a fan of true-crime mysteries, then this should be right up your alley.

  • I appreciated the fact that the story focused more on the family affected by the crime, and not just a pure procedural investigation of the crime itself.

  • The drama hits all the right notes, and it’s hard not to be on board with our main protagonists.

  • You should be quite engaged with the story, as it slowly reveals more aspects of the mystery, and to see how Mari Gilbert reacts to all the reveals.

  • Truly one of the main reasons to see this is the strong performance by Amy Ryan as the takes no guff Mari Gilbert.

  • Highlights of this movie are conversational scenes involving Amy Ryan with Thomasin McKenzie, or ones involving Gabriel Byrne. Both McKenzie and Byrne are also quite excellent in this.

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s a slow burn. Some people are not going to like the deliberately slow pace.

  • Certain plot threads aren’t completely resolved, which some people will also not like.

  • Doesn’t exactly have a lot of thrilling moments.

  • The direction and plot progression is arguably too conservative to the point that it doesn’t necessarily have a lot of memorable scenes.

P.S….

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Watch It Now On NETFLIX

The Hunt

POSITIVES…

  • It’s entertaining enough for what it is. A bloody, darkly comedic, satire, that plays off the political discourse of the USA.

  • Just in case you’re politically sensitive, it does skewer both political camps with it’s smug liberal elites characters, and the cocksure conservative deplorables.

  • There are snappy lines of dialogue and insults, that’s clearly poking fun of political ideological cliches. That’s where most of the humor is derived from, and I did have some laughs.

  • Betty Gilpin is fantastic in this, and is the character that will convince you to see through this movie up until the end.

  • The last act saves this movie, which includes that last fight sequence that is an absolutely amazing fun thing to watch, and the reveal of the final thematic message that justifies why this story even exists in the first place. Really does saves this film.

  • “Give me that gun!.” “I don’t think he believes you Don.” “No more glass.” Just some moments that solidifies the fact that this movie is actually having fun with itself. If you relax and accept this notion, then you too can find some fun with this.

  • Oh, and it’s just about 90 minutes long. Which is just about right?

NEGATIVES…

  • Maybe 90 minutes is too long after all for such a simple premise? It does indulge itself and spins its wheels a little too much at times. This could have just been a short film and the point would have come across just as well.

  • The political humor can get a bit much though. Yes, that’s where a lot of the humor is from, but then comedy is subjective after all.

  • While it’s amusing to see the over the top violence, it kinda outstayed its welcome at a certain point. Shocking for shocking’s sake is not that shocking anymore.

  • What also outstayed its welcome? Stupid characters doing stupid things. Haha we get it, they are stupid. Laugh at how stupid they are. No sorry. I’m not really laughing.

  • You know what also also outstayed its welcome? Banter. I can only take so much of characters arguing with each other, because that’s suppose to be funny. *rolls eyes*

  • Oh, about those characters. Yeah. Hated just about all of them. Except for Betty Gilpin’s character, and Hilary Swank as Athena who is supposed to be hateable. It can be hard to feel invested in what’s going on screen if I don’t care about who I’m watching on that screen.

  • Which reminds me… There’s a moment in the movie that is supposed to be this big giant mind-blowing reveal; with panning camera shot for dramatic effect, that it boggles my mind why they went with that direction. Why?! First off, they revealed it in the promotional trailer. Secondly, even if you didn’t see the trailer, it’s not that big of a reveal! That wasn’t surprising movie!!! Didn’t somebody tell you that wasn’t a necessary thing to do?!

P.S….

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Bloodshot

POSITIVES…

  • Premise and plot has that comfortable feel of a 1990s cult action flick, that is clearly not technically great, but likeable enough to not be hateable.

  • There’s an action sequence during the first half of the movie that involves a lot of flour, that visually looked really cool.

  • There’s a chase sequence that I thought was very entertaining to watch.

  • There’s an elevator action sequence that was quite enjoyable.

  • Lamorne Morris as Wilfred Wigans is a lot of fun, and steals every scene he is in.

  • Shout out to Siddharth Dhananjay as Eric, you’re fun in this too.

  • I wouldn’t mind seeing a sequel, and that in itself means this movie did something right for me to warrant that idea.

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s as cliche, derivative, and predictable, as you expect it to be for a somewhat grittier comic book action flick.

  • Expect plot conveniences to happen, just for the convenience of making things as uncomplicated as it can be. Wouldn’t want believable and realistic situations to get in the way of the story…

  • There’s a lack of satisfying character development throughout; that includes Bloodshot himself, and relies a lot on familiar archetypes to do the heavy lifting in making you feel anything at all for these people.

  • Speaking of archetypes, can Sam Heughan’s character be more transparently dislikeable? Where’s the subtlety?

  • I don’t know if it’s done the same in the comic book original, but there’s a very very contrived plot point that seemed completely unnecessary. I just had to shake my head when the movie tries to explain away why they had to do it the way they did.

  • It might be a little thing… maybe… but I don’t believe the movie even once used the name “Bloodshot,” which seems odd considering the title…

P.S….

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Emma.

POSITIVES…

  • In general, visually this film looks great, from the period accurate clothes, authentic looking locations, and how the camera captures the characters on screen.

  • Cast is great here, and they all add something to the movie. From Johnny Flynn, Mia Goth, Josh O’Connor, etc…

  • The movie is filled with fun little moments like Bill Nighy as Mr. Woodhouse obsessing over drafts, intense dramatic dialogue between certain characters, to elaborate sequences like a certain dance number.

  • Whether you are or aren’t an Jane Austen devotee, I think you can easily acknowledge how amazing Anya Taylor-Joy is in this film as Emma Woodhouse.

  • Speaking of devotees, as far as the story is concerned, I’ll leave how good of an adaptation it is to you Janeites, because I thought it was simply interesting and entertaining for what it is. It gave me more of an appreciation as to why this story is well loved.

NEGATIVES…

  • I don’t know how much I can criticize this movie as I am not a huge devotee of Jane Austen’s work, nor have I read the book that this is an adaptation of. I’m sure the fans can nitpick some things about it.

  • Considering how the book was written so long ago, it’s probably unfair for me to say that the story and the themes felt too familiar and cliche, with predictable character arcs and resolutions. It is unfair for me to say that, but that’s how I felt.

  • This didn’t try to go for a more creative modern direction (like with “Little Women”) that might benefit modern viewers like me. Which is also unfair for me to compare, because that’s just not what this movie tried to go for. Fans of the original source material will simply get more out of this film than those of us who are uninitiated.

P.S….

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

The Way Back

POSITIVES…

  • For those of you like sports movies, you’ll appreciate this film’s take on high school basketball.

  • For those of you who like character studies about people struggling with alcoholism and other personal demons, you’ll appreciate this film’s focus on that subject.

  • For those of you who like good interactions between characters; via engaging dialogue or humorous moments together, then you’ll appreciate the strong cast that brought these characters to life for you.

  • For those of you who just want a solid drama that’ll take you places with some emotionally charged scenes, then you’ll appreciate the work done here by co-Writer/ Director Gavin O’Connor.

  • For those of you who like to see a very powerful and incredibly strong performance by Ben Affleck, then you’ll appreciate that this movie allowed him to practically bare his soul to you as Jack Cunningham.

NEGATIVES…

  • Relies too much on familiar plot tropes and cliches.

  • It can be too melodramatic a lot of the times.

  • There was a moment where I thought the movie was already over, but then it just keeps going. Arguably too long of a film?

  • Honestly, I would have preferred if this movie was just about the high school basketball plot.

P.S….

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Onward

POSITIVES…

  • This movie is like a mash-up of favorite 1980s sensibilities, like Dungeons & Dragons, buddy road trip movies, teens going on adventures, Weekend At Bernie’s, etc… and that’s an aspect I found absolutely liking a lot.

  • I love the premise for this movie, and the story as well. There’s a lot I appreciated with the goals of this film.

  • This movie also has a humongous load of themes, ideas, and story lessons, that are all worth exploring and discussing after wards.

  • The two siblings have great chemistry together, and provides a lot of the fun entertainment in watching this movie. Seeing where their adventure takes them, plus all the different characters they interact with, is the main draw to watching this.

  • Tom Holland and Chris Pratt as the two siblings Ian and Barley, are unsurprisingly good in this, I have to give a shout out to Octavia Spencer as The Manticore, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the Mom Laurel Lightfoot, who are also great in their roles.

  • The third act is fantastic, filled with entertaining sequences, emotional story beats, and just overall an awesome pay off that rewards you for watching (and paying attention to) the movie.

  • I should point out that this film leans heavily into the whole “children who never got to know their fathers” angle, so those who can relate should really have an even more emotional connection to this. Showing you things that might make you cry is a Pixar specialty after all.

  • Oh, does it need to be said? The animation and the visuals are all top notch. Very easy on the eyes.

NEGATIVES…

  • Unfortunately, this is a movie released by Pixar, which means it has to automatically be a great animated film. It’s honestly not a great film, BUT it’s simply just a solid, good, average movie. So keep your expectations in check.

  • There’s a certain formulaic feel to the movie, as it isn’t above using very familiar plot tropes.

  • It’s also not above relying on coincidences or conveniences to keep the plot moving.

  • Felt like they should have gone further with the world building, and all the possibilities that could have sprung forth from this premise.

P.S….

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible