A Quiet Place Part II

POSITIVES…

  • A worthy follow-up to the first installment. Arguably even better than part one. 

  • Amazing cast! From Millicent Simmonds, Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Noah Jupe, to John Krasinski. 

  • Day 1 flashback section of the movie. Amazing. 

  • All that tension and thrills that this movie can achieve. Fantastic. 

  • So effective in telling a story with many scenes not containing dialogue. May as well be a silent film at times. 

  • The moments that do contain dialogue, were eloquent, and even thought provoking. 

  • Really great at intercutting certain scenes together, that were really engaging to see play out on screen. 

  • There were some really engrossing scenes to experience in this movie. Kudos to Director John Krasinski! 

  • What also greatly helps with the tone and the narrative, is the musical score. So good. 

  • Visually, the cinematography and those arresting imagery. Top notch. 

  • Monster creature effects are excellent. 

  • Those big triumphant moments deserve a standing ovation.

NEGATIVES…

  • Certain plot conveniences and familiar tropes do still crop up, which cheapens the narrative a bit. 

  • Some “why are you doing that?!” moments that make you want to do a facepalm. 

  • Fake out jump scares. Come on. I feel like you don’t have to rely on those for this movie. 

  • That one stupid idea of a trap. Unbelievably wasn’t thought through was it? 

  • All those shots of bare feet.

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A Quiet Place Part II - watched it IN THEATERS

Together Together

POSITIVES…

  • The opening interview scene is a great way to kick off this interesting premise of a movie. 

  • Ed Helms is great in this as Matt, showcasing his skills of being awkward and vulnerable. 

  • Patti Harrison as Anna is also great here, and is fantastic at her deadpan comedy. 

  • A lot of this movie is about the chemistry and the conversations Matt and Anna have, and they easily kept me engaged. 

  • There is quirky, awesome, and clever dialogue in this that covers fantastic topics from fascinating factoids, social-philosophical thoughts, and pop culture references. 

  • Along with the conversations, are the excellent scenes that feature them. This movie is filled with fun quirky and humorous scenes. 

  • “Opening the shade: The deeper meaning behind color…” 

  • “Lamp.” 

  • “I can’t tell if she’s really rude or amazing.” 

  • There are lots of excellent supporting casts here, but I gotta give it to Sufe Bradshaw for stealing every scene she’s in. 

  • Three story arcs. Three trimesters. Cute. 

  • Sweet. Touching. Thought provoking. Good stuff!

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s not exactly the most exciting movie in the typical sense. 

  • Some might think Patti Harrison’s dry comedic role is just much too dry. 

  • There will be those who won’t be too happy with how the movie ends.

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Together Together - watched it on VIDEO ON DEMAND

Army of the Dead

POSITIVES…

  • If you like zombie movies and Zack Snyder, then by all means go check out this movie. 

  • Fun premise of combining the zombie genre with a heist element to it. 

  • Opening montage is awesome. All the montages in fact. Snyder knows how to do fantastic montages. 

  • Good ensemble cast, from Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Garret Dillahunt, Theo Rossi, plus many more. 

  • Speaking of the cast though, I gotta specifically give it to Tig Notaro, Nora Arnezeder, and Matthias Schweighöfer, for being the stand-out characters in this. 

  • The introduction scene for the Athena Perample zombie character. Fascinating. 

  • That one set piece involving Samantha Win’s character is peak zombie movie awesomeness. 

  • Booby trap sequence. Entertaining stuff. 

  • Has some spectacular visuals to see in this movie. 

  • Liked the mythological touches to the story behind the zombies. 

  • Zombie animals. 

  • Richard Cheese and Allison Crowe’s “Viva Las Vegas.”

NEGATIVES…

  • While there’s a heist element to the premise, it doesn’t really capitalize on that genre as much as I hoped it would. 

  • Logical flaws in the story. 

  • Characters you just don’t really care for.

  • There are some slow moments that I didn’t like halting the momentum the movie had. 

  • Needless to say, some pacing and tone issues. 

  • Zack Snyder arguably indulges himself too much here. 

  • Considering the content of the movie, it really didn’t need to be 148 mins long. 

  • Was the topless female zombies really necessary?

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Army of the Dead - watch it on NETFLIX

Oxygene

POSITIVES…

  • The way this film builds from the simple concept of somebody who finds herself trapped in what is essentially a coffin, and expands it into so much more, is an incredible feat by Director Alexandre Aja and writer Christie LeBlanc. 

  • Having pretty much the whole movie set in that one claustrophobic location and still manages to keep you engaged is fantastic. 

  • You’d think with just that one location there wouldn’t be much to see visually. Not true at all. There’s a lot of dynamic visuals that take advantage of the premise in nice ways. 

  • Plot progression moves and builds up in interesting, surprising, and suspenseful ways. 

  • That big reveal in the middle of the movie. Well done. 

  • This story manages to tackle some very thought provoking themes and topics. 

  • Mélanie Laurent carries this film splendidly. Amazing performance. Especially considering she is only interacting with disembodied voices. 

  • Shout out to Mathieu Amalric for the excellent job of being the voice actor for the artificial intelligent computer M.I.L.O. He is definitely a character. 

  • "Would you like a sedative?"

NEGATIVES…

  • Starts off a little slow. 

  • Some jump scares seemed unnecessary. 

  • Certain plot coincidences might be pushing it for you. 

  • Rats.

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Oxygene - watched it on NETFLIX

The Woman in the Window

POSITIVES…

  • A mysterious thriller that will keep people guessing as to what’s going to happen next. 

  • Part of the fun of watching movies like these is trying to figure out the answer to the mystery before it’s revealed.  

  • The manic pacing and plot progression completely fits the themes and tone of the film. 

  • Eye grabbing stylistic visual touches were pretty awesome to see. 

  • Excellent utilization of having this being set in one location. Adds to the claustrophobic tone of the movie. 

  • That tone can be quite tense, and suspenseful as well. 

  • Second act really puts you on the ringer here. Which I guess is the point. 

  • If there’s one single reason to see this, it’s Amy Adams as Anna Fox. She is simply spectacular in this. 

  • The rest of the supporting cast is also good. From Wyatt Russell, Gary Oldman, Fred Hechinger, Julianne Moore, Brian Tyree Henry, and more. 

  • “Punch” the cat.

NEGATIVES…

  • Going to be a lot of people saying “hey, isn’t this just Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window?” 

  • Can’t be helped I guess, but the premise does feel kinda generic and derivative. 

  • The drama can appear to be quite over the top, to the point of frustration. 

  • Speaking of over the top, the acting sure is cranked all the way up to 11 here. 

  • Very questionable face palming decisions made by our protagonist. 

  • A little manipulative in some cases.

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The Woman in the Windows - watched it on NETFLIX

Those who wish me dead

POSITIVES…

  • If you’re looking for a good traditional thriller involving bad men, a mysterious conspiracy, firefighters, and a big fire, then this might just be for you. 

  • This is one of those movies that really just gives the actors moments to shine in some enjoyable scenes and set pieces. Some good stuff here. 

  • Angelie Jolie is expectedly solid in her role as Hannah, bringing some good emotional beats necessary for her character’s back story. 

  • Finn Little is fantastic as Connor, and is given some very entertaining lines to say. 

  • The pairing of Jolie’s Hannah and Little’s Connor is easily the best thing about seeing this story play out. Their conversations and the scenes they perform it. Bravo. 

  • Aiden Gillen and Nicholas Hoult are absolutely excellent in their roles of the main antagonists. Provides more highlights for the movie. 

  • Medina Senghore is another wonderful highlight as Allison. I would give all the best action sequences to her scenes actually. 

  • Jon Bernthal being Jon Bernthal. ‘Nuff said? 

  • Appreciated seeing some of those survival tactics demonstrated in the movie. 

  • “It’s impossible to feel sorry for myself in front of you.”

NEGATIVES…

  • Have to admit that despite the recognizable stars and big fire special effects, this movie isn’t exactly the most spectacular thing you’ll see this year. 

  • Slow start. Taking its sweet time getting to the thriller aspect of the story. 

  • That big annoying plot convenience that’s needed just to keep the plot going. 

  • Big tease of a macguffin that is handled in the most unsatisfying way. 

  • Speaking of conclusions. That ending. You’re going to cut to credits from right there? C’mon, you’re killing me here.

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Those Who Wish Me Dead - watched it on HBO MAX

Spiral: From the book of Saw

POSITIVES…

  • Fans of the Saw franchise should check this out. With that said, those who never followed the franchise can easily jump in on this installment.

  • Liked the mysterious killer police procedural narrative.

  • Most will be here for the deadly traps that is synonymous with this series of films, and they do mostly deliver.

  • Needless to say, fans of bloody gore and violence will find things to like.

  • Then there are those who will be watching because of Chris Rock, and he too delivers with what you expect from him.

  • Gotta admit that I enjoyed the stand-up comic bits of jokes he actually got to do in this.

  • Chris Rock did get to drop some entertaining pop culture references here and there too.

  • Good supporting cast, that includes Marisol Nichols, Max Minghella, Richard Zeppieri, Samuel L Jackson, and more.

  • There are several scenes that should grab your attention, and one that I had fun watching involved being able to see a bone sticking out of a broken leg.

  • Thematically tackles some very prescient and important subject matters.

NEGATIVES…

  • Those quick camera zooms, pans, and cuts, were just annoying.

  • Somehow I thought there would be more traps. There aren’t as many traps as I expected there to be.

  • A couple of huge plot holes that killed some of that required suspension of disbelief.

  • Mystery of the villain a little too telegraphed and predictable? I know I guessed correctly!

  • Movie seemed afraid to actually deal with the overall themes of the story.

  • That moment you the end credits start. Seriously? That’s how they’re going to conclude the movie?!

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Spiral: From the book of Saw - watched it IN THEATERS

PROFILE

POSITIVES…

  • More proof that a movie that is completely set on a computer desktop is still a viable form of story telling. 

  • Compelling, fascinating, and thrilling premise. 

  • Considering the “screen life” aspect of this movie, it chooses some effective liberties with what we see on that computer desktop. 

  • I particularly liked it’s method of indicating the passage of time in the narrative. 

  • Achieves that proper tension and suspense needed to hook you into the plot. 

  • Third act in particular really ramps things up, and will keep you invested until the eventual conclusion. 

  • Valene Kane is generally solid in her thankless role of Amy / Melody. 

  • Shazad Latif is absolutely fantastic as Bilel. 

  • Subject matter itself is quite triggering, and worth thinking about. 

  • Considering that this cautionary tale is inspired by a true story, only makes the movie scarier than it is.

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s a movie that’s purely shown via a computer desktop. It’s not for everybody. 

  • Kinda rolled my eyes at some of the movie’s attempts to create a supposed authentic representation of how we use a computer, and how our video chats apparently are riddled with constant pixelations and buffering issues. 

  • Familiar plot tropes and cliches.

  • Certain plot points and plot conveniences were also quite annoying to see in this story. 

  • The character of Amy Whittaker will frustrate you. 

  • Expect to do some face palms and incredulously ask “what the hell are you doing?!” 

  • Didn’t think it needed to be 105 minutes long.

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PROFILE - watched it IN THEATERS

The Paper Tigers

POSITIVES…

  • This crowd pleasing movie seems perfect for people who grew up with a fondness for martial arts and Kung Fu flicks, but the normality of regular life unfortunately kept all that strictly in the realm of fantasy and not reality. 

  • Premise of middle age men who let go of their martial arts upbringing from back when they were young, who now have to avenge their fallen master, is a pretty entertaining idea. 

  • Alain Uy, Ron Yuan, and Mykel Shannon Jenkins, are excellent as the three tigers. Their chemistry together and their character progressions, easily helps keep you invested with where the plot takes them. 

  • Seeing that montage at the beginning, as if shot via a VCR camcorder gave me a huge smile. 

  • That set piece at the empty pool. Fantastic! Great example that represents all the fun "beimo" you'll see in this. 

  • Gotta admire the fight choreography for this movie. 

  • I really liked the writing and the dialogue. Good stuff here. 

  • There are some fun comedy bits and lines that I really really enjoyed. 

  • Matthew Page amused me a lot as the character of Carter. 

  • "A fortune cookie, made by white flour." 

  • Thematically has solid lessons worth learning.

NEGATIVES…

  • Might be criticized for being kinda simple and straightforward of a story. 

  • If you're expecting a ton of action scenes, then you might be disappointed. 

  • You're definitely going to have to suspend your disbelief for some of the things you'll see. 

  • Fart jokes. Really?

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The Paper Tigers - watched it on VIDEO ON DEMAND

Wrath Of Man

POSITIVES…

  • A premise that heavily involves the Armored Truck delivery side of the business, mixed with gangsters and criminals? Yeah. I’m immediately interested.

  • Those who want a more gritty and dark Guy Ritchie film, should find something that will grab their attention here.

  • It stars Jason Statham, and he is very entertaining here as you expect him to be.

  • Good ensemble cast, that includes Holt McCallany, Darrell D'Silva, Josh Hartnett, Jeffrey Donovan, Scott Eastwood, and Eddie Marsan.

  • The chapter based narrative gets more intriguing and engaging as the story goes.

  • Has some solid set pieces and montages throughout, with highlights coming from scenes featuring Jason Statham in action.

  • It’ll definitely make you want to see how the whole thing concludes, even if you have an idea how it’s going to end.

  • Thematically has a rather fascinating cynical commentary on men and their tendencies for self-destructive violence.

NEGATIVES…

  • Those specifically looking for that light-hearted witty sense of humor from Guy Ritchie will likely be disappointed with this movie.

  • In fact, I didn’t care that much for the mean kind of humor this movie does have.

  • The first chapter felt like a mess to me.

  • Holy crap is there so much male testosterone in this, it’s almost on the verge of parody.

  • “H,” “Bullet,” “Boy Sweat Dave,” “Sarge,” whatever with the cute colorful nicknames!

  • Dialogue can sound very overwritten at times.

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Wrath Of Man - watched it IN THEATERS