Guns Akimbo

POSITIVES…

  • It’s got a fun outrageous premise that’s entertaining to watch. If you like these kinds of movies that is.

  • Has a kinetic and in-your-face visual style that should easily grab your attention.

  • The comedic moments in this movie are welcome, and matches the over-the-top plot.

  • It actually has some thought provoking subtle social commentary littered throughout the story.

  • Choreography for the gun fights and action sequences in general are nicely energetic and outrageous. Oh, and bloody violent too.

  • Has a good cast. Daniel Radcliffe, Samara Weaving, Ned Dennehy, Rhys Darby, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo. Weaving and Dennehy in particular looked like they were really having a lot of fun in their roles.

NEGATIVES…

  • I can see people saying the whole movie is just obnoxious.

  • That kinetic and in-your-face visual style? It can also get pretty annoying at times.

  • Between certain illogical moments, blatant pandering to the audience, commentary that can get too on-the-nose, plus all those plot conveniences, the writing simply could be better.

  • Yes, it’s one of those movies where a character is either a sharpshooter or can’t shoot worth a damn, all depending on what the plot dictates. I rolled my eyes at that so many times.

  • My suspension of disbelief can only go so far you know, and there are moments that were really pushing it.

P.S….

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

You Can Watch It Now On VIDEO ON DEMAND

Swallow

POSITIVES…

  • There’s a line in a book shown in the movie that reads “Every day, try to do something unexpected. Push yourself to try new things.” My answer to that would be… DEAR GOD, NOT THAT THOUGH! But then, if not that, this fascinating film would not exist.

  • This movie succeeded in making me squirm in my seat.

  • As an unconventional drama, it was able to surprise me a bit as to the direction of the story.

  • Haley Bennett is fantastic in this, playing her character Hunter in a very specifically delicate way.

  • Some welcome levity is added with Laith Nakli’s character.

  • Cinematography is absolutely gorgeous to look at.

  • Thematic wise, there are some complicated but thought provoking ideas brought up by this story.

NEGATIVES…

  • The deliberate pacing of the film might be considered slow for some.

  • Some people might also feel frustrated in putting up with sequences that takes its time in establishing the tone and mood of a scene.

  • Movie makes it too easy to feel a certain way about the Conrad family. How about a little bit more nuance there?

P.S….

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

You Can Watch It Now On VIDEO ON DEMAND

Coffee & Kareem

POSITIVES…

  • The quality of the writing be damned, I’m going to give credit to the actors that are clearly trying their best to make this movie work. Kudos to Ed Helms, Terrence Little Gardenhigh, RonReaco Lee, Taraji P. Henson, and Betty Gilpin.

  • I know comedy is subjective, but I can count how many times I laughed with one hand.

  • As stupid as the “roundabout scene” kinda is. That’s one of the scenes I actually laughed at.

NEGATIVES…

  • Just because you are talking and doing outrageous things, does not automatically make it funny.

  • Just because this movie has a young teen talking and doing outrageous things, does not automatically make it funny.

  • So many jokes were big giants misses, and there were a lot of attempts of humor.

  • Just look at the movie’s title. “Coffee & Kareem.” Coffee & Cream. Get it?! Aren’t they so clever?

  • The oil and water dysfunctional accidental partnership that Coffee and Kareem has is suppose to be entertaining and maybe even charming. However to me, it was more obnoxiously trying too hard.

  • There’s also a plot turn during the final act of the movie that I don’t think was earned at all.

  • This movie doesn’t stray too far from other similar movies. Fresh take this is not.

P.S…

loveditenjoyeditlikedititsokay IT’S MEH itsterrible

You Can Watch It Now On NETFLIX

Banana Split

POSITIVES…

  • There are some fresh fun to be had in this charming story, especially considering the derivative nature of your typical teenage girl coming-of-age comedy movie.

  • Has an excellent opening montage that sets up the story.

  • This has some enjoyable comedic situations that can only be had with this movie’s fascinating premise.

  • The dialogue here are also fun to listen to, and written in that hyper realistic way, that you wished you could have talked like that when you were a teenager.

  • The back and forth verbal exchanges that Hannah Marks’ April has with Addison Riecke’s Agnes in this movie entertained me to no end.

  • I appreciated the fact that this movie was not afraid to embrace it’s expletive-laden language and dirty jokes.

  • A lot of what makes this movie an enjoyable watch is because of the two acting leads; Hannah Marks and Liana Liberato. The chemistry they have together is just spot on.

  • Has a good pace and narrative. All in a tight 84 minutes.

  • Gotta love the overall thematic messages and lessons that this movie has.

  • Soundtrack is pretty awesome too.

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s a teenage girl coming-of-age story. It’s not that new. Expect the cliches, familiar plot tropes, and the general predictability of it all.

  • Yes, once again we have twenty-somethings playing high school kids.

  • Watching teenage angst and raging hormones will probably cause some people to roll their eyes a lot.

  • Dylan Sprouse doesn’t really add too much to this movie besides his looks.

P.S….

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

You Can Watch It Now On VIDEO ON DEMAND

Spenser Confidential

POSITIVES…

  • As a reimagining of the Robert B Parker created characters, I thought it had some good ideas to modernize this franchise.

  • There’s a comfortable entertaining familiarity to this kind of crime mystery story, and the simplicity of the narrative.

  • The ensemble cast made this movie for me, and how they interacted with each other.

  • I got on board with Mark Wahlberg’s take on Spenser. Winston Duke was cool enough for me as Hawk. Alan Arkin is Alan Arkin, ‘nuff said. However I got to hand it to Iliza Shlesinger for stealing every scene she is in, with this energetic performance of hers.

  • Running gag about punching. I liked that.

  • The Batman joke. I loved that.

  • Dogs in this movie. Fun scenes.

NEGATIVES…

  • You’ve seen this kind of movie before. It’s derivative. It’s cliche. It’s nothing special at all.

  • Those looking for an action packed movie will probably be disappointed.

  • There’s a particular set up to the premise of Spenser’s background story that could have used more explanation than what was given.

  • So much lazy writing and plot conveniences during the final act.

  • Dustin Tucker’s acting as Federal Agent Fingle. What the hell was that?!

  • Purists will complain that this reimagining is an insult to Robert B Parker’s characters.

P.S….

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

You Can Watch It Now On NETFLIX

After Midnight

POSITIVES…

  • The mixing of the romantic angle in the story, with the “there’s a monster out there to get you” plot, and the thematic structure of what it all means together, is an effective narrative that I liked.

  • I admire tackling the monster movie genre with a low budget. I like observing creative ways of not relying too much on expensive special effects.

  • Kudos to Jeremy Gardner for doing a lot of acting by himself a good chunk of the time. He also has a well done monologue to showcase his talent.

  • Supporting actress Brea Grant shines during a particular one-take dialogue scene between her and Gardner.

  • "Stay (I Missed You)" scene.

NEGATIVES…

  • Honestly didn’t really get going until about the time Henry Zebrowski’s character showed up.

  • Some people would argue that it never got going…

  • Pacing could be a little bit faster, and it’s just simply boring at times.

  • Doesn’t exactly pack enough of a punch to really keep my interest.

  • Tries to add some levity, but I don’t think it was as effective as they should have been.

  • Even at just about 83 minutes, it was much longer than it needed to be.

  • "Stay (I Missed You)" scene.

P.S….

loveditenjoyeditlikedititsokay IT’S MEH itsterrible

You Can Watch It Now On HOOPLA

El Hoyo (The Platform)

POSITIVES…

  • This is an amazing story to experience. Engaging. Exhilarating. Terrifying. Concerning. I was hooked, hooked, hooked!

  • One of the most compelling films about a dystopian future, with an absolute barrage of symbolisms and allegories coming at you one after the other.

  • The dialogue between the characters are all food for thought as well, and were fascinating to listen to. “Obviously.”

  • There’s a lot of provoking ideas to unpack here. Lessons that should be learned.

  • This is one of those movies that will make you ask “what would I do if I was in their place?” I love these kinds of premises.

  • Plot turns and plot reveals were done really well, and kept me on the edge of my seat, awaiting to see what happens next.

  • Speaking of being on the edge of my seat. That last act was a roller coaster of “how are they going to pull this off?”

  • Pacing is excellent. With the narrative being just a tight 94 mins.

  • Visually simple, but perfectly displays the oppressive and hopeless situation that our protagonist got himself into.

  • Kudos to the cast for being great in this. Ivan Massagué, Zorion Eguileor, Antonia San Juan, Alexandra Masangkay, and Emilio Buale.

NEGATIVES…

  • There were a couple of what I believe were legitimate plot holes that kinda bugged me. Don’t expect everything to be explained.

  • The symbolisms and allegories could arguably be a little too on the nose.

  • Some conveniences in plot and character changes kinda cheapens the overall impact of the story a little bit.

  • One of the characters made a decision that really pissed me off. It was distracting me from completely enjoying the movie.

P.S….

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

You Can Watch It Now On NETFLIX

Uncorked

POSITIVES…

  • The familiarity to this Father-Son story has that nice comfortable feeling for a family drama that I appreciated. It knows what it is, and it does it really well. Kudos to Writer-Director Prentice Penny.

  • While the story feels derivative, this movie isn’t above changing things up and subverting expectations, that it kept me engaged all the way until the end. I actually wanted more, by the time the credits hit.

  • Speaking about changing things up. The premise is about the son wanting to be a Sommelier! How often do you see movies about that subject matter?! That in itself also kept my interest quite a bit.

  • Excellent cast here, with solid performances by Mamoudou Athie as the Son, Courtney B. Vance as the Father, and the scene-stealing isn’t-she-just-fantastic-in-this Niecy Nash as the Mother.

  • I really enjoyed the interactions and the dialogue among the characters. A lot of that felt authentic enough for me, which really brings these characters to life, and got me truly invested with what happens to them.

  • There’s a scene that demonstrates some of the clever writing this film has, when different types of wines were compared to several hip-hop artists.

  • I really liked the themes and lessons learned in this story. You’ve heard them before, but this film is a wonderfully charming way of telling it to us again. People need to be reminded.

  • As somebody who isn’t much of a wine connoisseur, I learned things here about wine that opened my eyes as to why some people can be so into the art of tasting it. I don’t even like wine all that much, but I kinda want to go get a bottle now, which is quite the achievement that this movie was able to accomplish.

NEGATIVES…

  • Despite some tweaks to the tropes, it’s still a very familiar and conventional feeling story that you’ve seen before, and you may just very well dismiss the whole thing for that.

  • On that note, it still has those big cliches you come to expect too, which shows some of the derivativeness to the story.

  • There’s a plot reveal in the movie involving one of the primary supporting characters that I felt like was a manipulative cheat, that just didn’t feel earned.

  • It takes chances, but it never truly feels like it goes for big bold changes that will blow your mind.

  • The movie also has a very relaxed pace, narrative, and plot progression, that some people might get bored with, and may make the 104 minutes run-time feel even longer.

P.S…

lovedit ENJOYED IT iikedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

You Can Watch It Now On NETFLIX

Horse Girl

POSITIVES…

  • Without a doubt, Alison Brie is phenomenal in this. She really goes all out and throws everything into the weird awkward and confused woman that is her character Sarah.

  • The premise and plot direction of this movie should be ideal for those who like weird, bizarre, and purposefully confusing mysterious stories. I know I found it fascinating.

  • With it’s interesting plot turns and reveals, I couldn’t help but be engaged enough to want to see how it all concludes.

  • There were some excellent cinematography and artistic choices for some scenes that really stood out visually.

  • Knowing the actual themes that this story is based on, makes me appreciate the movie’s overall ambitions in trying to put all that on film.

NEGATIVES…

  • This movie is going to be too odd and off kilter for most people.

  • This movie’s story can get much more darker and disconcerting for most people as well.

  • This movie might just frustrate you or bore you, if you think the plot turns and reveals are nonsensical. Because they kinda really are.

  • The movie’s ending wasn’t exactly much of a pay off to reward you of your time either.

  • This movie is also what one might say is “not really a fun watch.”

P.S….

loveditenjoyeditlikedit IT’S OKAY itsmehitsterrible

You Can Watch It Now On NETFLIX

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