KATE

POSITIVES…

  • Want to see Mary Elizabeth Winstead kicking ass, trying to take down the Yakuza? Here’s a movie for you. 

  • Want to see bloody brutal violent action sequences? Yes, this is definitely a movie for you to watch. Check out the action set pieces at a restaurant, a street market, a penthouse, and more. 

  • Solid action choreography, especially when it includes sharp pointy weapons. 

  • There are some good thematic messages and commentaries here that are worth thinking about. 

  • Mary Elizabeth Winstead is really good at playing the badass female assassin, but still able to mix in some vulnerabilities and playfulness to her role. 

  • Miku Martineau is a firecracker of a character as Ani, and just lights up the screen with her energetic performance. 

  • Part of the fun watching this is the contrast in personalities between Kate and Ami. Winstead and Martineau have excellent chemistry playing off each other. 

  • Supporting cast is solid, from Woody Harrelson, Tadanobu Asano, Jun Kunimura, Miyavi, and more. 

  • Location setting of Japan is awesome. From the neon lit skyline, the gritty urban city, to the luxurious homes, look great for the cinematography. 

  • Nice touches with the camera, 180 flips, blood on the lens, overhead shots, and such. 

  • Rather enjoyed the Asian heavy rock and pop soundtrack.  

  • Bandmaid! It’s got one of my favorite Japanese Rock bands making a cameo in this movie and in the soundtrack. Instant plus! 

  • Boom Boom Lemon. I want some Boom Boom Lemon now. 

  • Everytime Kate calls Varrick “V,” I think about the main character in Cyberpunk 2077.

NEGATIVES…

  • Not the most original assassin going to do one last job, but things go bad, kinda story. 

  • Expect some familiar plot tropes, cliches, and conveniences. 

  • Moves at a more leisurely pace than you might want for an action flick. 

  • Honestly would have preferred at least one or two more big action set pieces to fill in some of the lulls in the pacing.

  • Some might find the character of Ani to be pretty annoying. "Stop. Speak less. Open your ears." 

  • There’s a particular plot point at the end of the final act that could have been expanded on more. I was waiting for that scene and moment or exchange of dialogue, but it just never happened.

  • It’s hard to deny the negative optics of seeing a White person killing a bunch of Asians in this day and age.

  • Your typical Japanese stereotypes are present here as well.

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

KATE - watched it on NETFLIX

The Voyeurs

POSITIVES…

  • It’s got a provocative premise, that showcases erotic situations that includes a good amount of nudity and sex scenes. Sounds like it’s probably worth a watch for a specific kind of audience ain’t it. 

  • Sexual stuff aside, the more unpredictable moments in the plot will keep your attention as well.  

  • Speaking of grabbing your attention, Sydney Sweeney as Pippa is incredible in this. The character’s journey and how Sweeney portrays her is the main reason to see this film. 

  • Supporting cast is good as well, which includes Justice Smith, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Ben Hardy, and Katharine King So. 

  • While the story gets serious and dark, it’s not without a light hearted side that produces lines of dialogue like “Is he choking?” or “There’s a satyr in their apartment.”  

  • There’s a plot point that involves a laser pointer and a sound board that I think might encourage some people to try it themselves. 

  • Aesop fable about the donkey and his master. 

  • "Margot." 

  • If you are ever invited to do a photo shoot, make sure you have a chaperone. 

  • The thrill of peeping and eavesdropping is a huge theme of this film, and the moral dilemmas that come from that. 

  • Touches on a smorgasbord of commentaries about social issues. 

  • That concluding third act might just impress you with that plot direction.

NEGATIVES…

  • That concluding third act might just make you turn off the movie early. 

  • Some will say that this isn't erotic enough, or that it’s just glorified soft porn. 

  • Some will say that this isn't much of a thriller, and that it doesn’t capitalize on the tensions in the plot. 

  • It could have just been a very simple tale, but it becomes just another highly implausible story that thinks it’s more clever than it really is. 

  • Can go down this rabbit hole of frustration with where the narrative is going. 

  • Simply put, this movie relies on Pippa making all the wrong choices. 

  • All the commentaries that this movie is trying to do, yeah, I’m not sure it hits the landing there. 

  • At one point you'll go "wait, this movie isn't over yet?" 

  • Put on curtains or blinds people, come on!

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

The Voyeurs - watched it on PRIME VIDEO

Malignant

POSITIVES…

  • Directed by James Wan, and introducing a new horror movie monster? Sign me up! 

  • That horror movie monster is named Gabriel, and he is a fantastic antagonist in this. 

  • Annabelle Wallis is absolutely amazing as Madison. She knows how to play up being a frightened woman in a horror movie. 

  • Supporting cast is good in this, and adds some nice light hearted touches to the narrative. From Maddie Hasson, George Young, and Michole Briana White. 

  • The use of shadows and silhouettes are excellent. 

  • Some suspenseful scariness here and there that will keep you entertained. 

  • There were some visually neat camera directions, with shots that I almost never see in cinema. 

  • From the visions, the chase sequence, to that police precinct action beat, this movie has some awesome set pieces. 

  • "Why am I calling the police?" 

  • Third act really ramps up the absurd insanity that is the plot. 

  • Oh, if I didn’t already mention it, this movie can get graphically bloody violent. 

  • I think Sam Raimi and David Cronenberg would be proud of what Wan pulled off here.

NEGATIVES…

  • Those looking for traumatic scariness will probably not find that here.

  • Plot progression is derivative in certain ways, and isn’t shy about using some familiar tropes. 

  • There’s this big reveal that isn't really that much of a big reveal, even if the movie acts like it is. 

  • The lines of dialogue can be pretty atrocious, to the point of unintentional hilarity. 

  • Soundtrack is so over the top ideal for a horror movie, that you’d wish it was just a tad bit more subtle about it. 

  • Some stupid plot points and character choices.

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Malignant - watched it on HBO MAX

Worth

POSITIVES…

  • The question "What is life worth" is essentially the driving force of this premise that's based on a true story, and it's a question worth answering. 

  • Fascinating to see the complicated process of how the victim's loved ones were compensated for their loss in the attacks. 

  • Complicated process? How about understanding the uncomplicated emotions of losing people you loved from the attacks! 

  • "Government-sponsored charity…" "with strings attached." 

  • "Be a person, not a politician." 

  • Mixing the politics with the human interest drama was done in a very compelling way. 

  • Michael Keaton is great as Ken Feinberg. The journey he goes from the beginning of the movie until the conclusion is worth following. 

  • Rest of the cast is great, from Amy Ryan, Stanley Tucci, Shunori Ramanathan, Laura Benanti, Chris Tardio, Tate Donovan, plus many more, and that includes the dog. 

  • Some tough emotional powerful moments, scenes, and testimonials here. 

  • That introductory meeting that addressed the 9/11 fund. I wouldn't have wanted to be in Ken's position. 

  • Never forget what happened on 9/11. For those of you who were too young or weren't even born yet, learn about what happened.

NEGATIVES…

  • Not necessarily the most visualizing exciting film, as it's mostly just talking heads here. 

  • Lots of tough questions brought up that may not have been satisfactorily answered for some. 

  • I don't think it could be helped, but the plot progression lends itself to be a little too familiar and predictable. 

  • While understandable, the obvious time skips with the title cards, kinda derails the narrative a bit.

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Worth - watched it on NETFLIX

Afterlife of the Party

POSITIVES…

  • You've seen this story before about a dead person who became a ghost and now needs to do good things for the people in the life she left behind. If that’s a comfortable go-to premise for you, then by all means enjoy this one! 

  • Victoria Justice is pretty adorable and charming in this as Cassie, the popular party girl who died in a very unfortunate way. 

  • Midori Francis is also pretty adorable and charming in this as her best friend Lisa, the geeky best friend who should be more alive. 

  • Both Justice and Francis are just too cute together on screen, and have great chemistry. Their strong connection is what helps drive the narrative. 

  • A mix of light hearted humor and emotional drama, the story grabs your attention like a situational dramedy might. 

  • While the plot progression is very familiar, it does it’s best to encourage you to want to see it through until the end. 

  • Heartwarming in several good life reaffirming ways. 

  • Effectively heartbreaking in tragically tear-jerker ways. 

  • Thematic worthwhile lessons that are easily relatable. 

  • Wardrobe change. Gotta admit, Cassie has some great outfits, and Victoria Justice wears them really well. 

  • It always fascinates me to see how they make the ghost character try to not touch anything to save money on the special effects work.

NEGATIVES…

  • This movie is more after life than a party. 

  • It's derivative like heck, so expect the usual cliches, tropes, and conveniences. 

  • Not exactly an extraordinary movie in terms of cinematics. 

  • I had to roll my eyes pretty hard with that final ending scene. 

  • There's a specific exchange between Cassie and Lisa in the beginning that felt really contrived. 

  • Can I just say that it didn’t feel like all the actors were completely invested in making this movie? 

  • If you have a Google Assistant device, watch out for that scene in the movie where they say "Hey Google."

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Afterlife of the Party - watched it on NETFLIX

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

POSITIVES…

  • The heroic theatrics of the Marvel movies meets the action fantasy stylings of Kung Fu and Wuxia films from Asia. That’s a combo you don’t want to miss. 

  • Recognizing the inspirations behind this movie, the first 8 minutes was presented with only Chinese dialogue with English closed captioning. Bold move for a general audience Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. 

  • Adds even more incredible world building to an already established but still growing MCU Universe. 

  • Simu Liu is Shang-Chi, and has a certain down-to-earth relatability that allows us to immediately connect with his character. 

  • Tony Leung as his Father Xu Wenwu is amazing, and is much more than just your average antagonist. 

  • The rest of the ensemble cast are also fantastic and contribute greatly to the movie. From Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and more. 

  • For those who are going in this for the action sequences, you are in for a treat, as there were some awesome ones. From the bus fight, the Macau set piece, to the epic final act. 

  • Martial Arts / Action / Stunt choreography is pure excellence here. 

  • For those who enjoy the light-hearted comedic sensibilities of MCU movies, this one doesn’t disappoint, and has some entertaining jokes and gags. 

  • I particularly liked the fact that they acknowledge how people don’t know how to pronounce the name “Shang-Chi.” 

  • Excellent use of flashbacks, that work hand in hand with the overall narrative. 

  • Plot progression really ramps things up as the movie moves along, and really takes you places. 

  • Has some inspirational themes that are worth recognizing.  

  • Besides the Ten Rings themselves, there are some other cool special effects. From the living forest, water effects, to certain creatures. 

  • “Welcome to the circus.” 

  • "On a dark desert highway. Cool wind in my hair..."

NEGATIVES…

  • Still doesn’t quite avoid relying on certain plot cliches, tropes, and conveniences. It doesn’t matter if you try to acknowledge that fact by being all meta about it movie!  

  • Honestly, I wished there were actually more martial arts sequences. 

  • Speaking of which. I would have preferred more wide shots to those action beats. 

  • Certain dramatic moments might be considered lulls for those who wanted it to be non-stop exciting 

  • You’re going to have to take a leap of faith for some of the more unbelievable moments. 

  • Where were the guards?! Did they seriously just get rid of all the guards?!

LOVED IT enjoyeditlikedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - watched it IN THEATERS

No Man Of God

POSITIVES…

  • Ted Bundy is an interesting subject matter to watch, and would be the reason to see this film.  

  • Elijah Wood is excellent as the generally reserved Special Agent Bill Hagmaier. 

  • Luke Kirby is electrifying as Ted Bundy, and it’s easy to be captivated by his performance. 

  • The chemistry between Wood and Kirby as this two man stage performance is the main highlight of this movie. 

  • A great character study of the two individuals, in that they are more than what they superficially appear to be. 

  • Good implementation of stock footage that adds context to the time period. 

  • Those confessional monologues are just fascinating to listen to. 

  • Insightful look into the minds of killers. Dark stuff. 

  • Final act has a lot of plot points, statements, questions, and themes that are very thought provoking. 

  • The answer to why he did it should stick with you.

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s mostly just two people having a conversation on screen, which may not be appealing to some. 

  • Not exactly the most visually exciting movie to watch.  

  • The methodically casual pacing might be too slow for some. 

  • Felt like it skipped a chapter or two, because the jump into the third act seemed abrupt. 

  • This dark subject matter is not for everybody.

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

No Man Of God - watched it on VIDEO ON DEMAND

The Night House

POSITIVES…

  • Up for a slightly different but essentially is a haunted house story? Then check this out. 

  • Actually, one of the main reasons to watch this is for Rebecca Hall’s performance. Phenomenal work from her here, especially in handling the heavy emotions required from her character. 

  • Solid supporting cast as well, from Sarah Goldberg, Stacy Martin, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Evan Jonigkeit. 

  • The methodical slow build up and reveals of the mystery and the supernatural elements really adds to the creepy tension. 

  • You can never underestimate the effectiveness of having scenes with a person using a flashlight in the dark to work on the suspense. 

  • Bumps in the night, sudden loud noises, and seeing odd shadows. This movie really wants to unnerve you with these scary situations. 

  • You know what’s scary? That very awkward conversation at a night out drinking at the bar scene. 

  • That scene about Hunter’s grade. I’m sure many teachers have always wanted to do that.

  • The final act had some visually impressive set pieces. 

  • There are some solid jump scares here, that makes this one of those “peak through your fingers” kinda scary movies. 

  • Some thought provoking ideas and themes that are brought up in this story.

NEGATIVES…

  • In certain ways, this does utilize some tried and true familiar plot tropes and cliches when it comes to scary movies. 

  • I guess it’s unavoidable, but there are scenes when you will want to yell at the character “Why the hell would you do that?!” 

  • Prepare to also exclaim “Wait, what happened there?! That doesn’t make sense!”

  • With all that said. I question some of the logic this movie has, which strains my suspension of disbelief. 

  • How come when movies show old footage, people don’t know how to properly focus, they try to zoom in and out more often than they should, and they just can’t keep the camera steady to save their lives?

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

The Night House - watched in IN THEATERS

Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop

POSITIVES…

  • Nice anime film that perfectly captures the feel of the summer season. 

  • A whimsical, charming, and heartwarming slice of life story. 

  • Good ensemble cast of characters with diverse personalities, with good leads by Sakura and Smile.  

  • Remember when hanging out in a lively shopping mall was enough for entertainment? This movie really reminds you of what that feels like. 

  • Contrast between the headphones and the mask. Nice. 

  • Liked how Haiku and vinyl records are an integral part of the plot. 

  • It integrates social media into the story in a good organic way. 

  • Final scene plays out like you hoped it would. 

  • Pastel colored animation style is fantastic to look at. 

  • Excellent use of the split screen in this. 

  • "Without your phone, you'll die." 

  • "Everywhere is the same anyway, as long as I have my phone."

NEGATIVES…

  • The lack of shadows and shades in the line artwork might not be for everybody. 

  • Not what one would exactly call a thrilling film. 

  • Movie might feel too inconsequential with meandering imagery. 

  • Might be too sentimental even. 

  • There is some questionable logic in certain plot developments. 

  • Oh look, it's another teen movie with a social influencer as one of the characters.

likeditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop - watched it on NETFLIX

Vacation Friends

POSITIVES…

  • Have you ever gone on a trip, ended up having a fun good time with strangers you've just met there, and somehow became friends? This movie is for you. 

  • Comedic plot turns of events that keep you entertained and on your toes, because outrageous things have to happen in this kind of movie. 

  • This is the kind of film that manages to make a humorous running joke about cocaine! 

  • Fake outs. Sometimes you just don't know if it's actually happening or not. I really liked that about this.  

  • There were also some pretty creatively shot set pieces in this movie, and one of them involves a bird pooping. 

  • That week of fun in Mexico montage is just another example of this movie being constantly wanting to make us laugh in an efficient way. 

  • The fox hunt. "So What'cha Want." I love how wacky this can get. 

  • Lil Rey Howery is excellent as Marcus, the straight man to John Cena’s crazy character Ron. 

  • Yvonne Orji is good as Emily, the even straighter woman to Meredith Hagner’s out there of a character Kyla. 

  • Add in Robert Wisdom as the disapproving Father Harold, and you’ve got a comedy cocktail of characters to liven things up. 

  • Carlos Santos as Maurillo is only around during the first ten minutes, but he actually kicks off the type of humor you should be expecting from this, and the lines he had in this I thought were pretty damn funny. 

  • You’ve seen the themes of this movie before, but they are still worthy messages.

NEGATIVES…

  • You’ve seen this type of comedy before, the odd couple pairing, so it’s not exactly an original fresh thing. 

  • Ron & Kyla might be considered a little too over the top as characters for some people, and you’re going to need to like them to like this.  

  • It's hard not to have a general idea on how the whole thing is going to end. 

  • After 30 minutes, it might feel like you've had more than enough of this, and the rest of the movie honestly doesn’t completely live up to that energetic first act. 

  • Plot conveniences and familiar tropes here and there. 

  • The final act gets a little cringe worthy at times.

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Vacation Friends - watched it on HULU