Ron's Gone Wrong

POSITIVES…

  • While there is a general familiarity to this premise, characters, and even the themes of the story, this animated movie still manages to be very entertaining. Once you jump into the plot, how do you not want to see it play out until the end? 

  • The relationship between Barney and Ron is clearly at the heart of this tale. With that said, it’s really Ron that absolutely wins this movie above everything else. Ron is just too enjoyable of a character. Gotta love that little robot! 

  • Certain sequences were so much fun to watch, especially that one particular scene during school recess.

  • This movie has some good recurring jokes, from registered user’s name, best friend out of the box, to rocks. Not THE Rock, but rocks. Just rocks. 

  • Speaking of jokes, “Mad Max meets Sesame Street.” This isn’t just a kid’s movie, there are references that only adults will get. I mean they play the sound of a dial-up modem, and I don’t think kids nowadays know what that sounds like.

NEGATIVES…

  • Said it already, but there is a derivativeness to this movie that can’t be ignored. Expect some familiar plot tropes to pop up. 

  • Plotwise, there’s a lot of things you can easily nitpick at. 

  • Final act gets far more convoluted than it needed to be. It already had an ending at a certain point, but then they just stretched it out even more unnecessarily! 

  • Arguably too heavy handed and unoriginal of a thematic lesson. 

  • Ron looks a little too inspired by certain other white robots with round figures from certain other animated movies.

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Ron’s Gone Wrong - watched it IN THEATERS

Night Teeth

POSITIVES…

  • It's got a solid vampire movie premise and has genuinely interesting ideas that I wouldn’t mind seeing more of. 

  • Jorge Lendeborg Jr. is great as Benny, who is a bit awkward, idealistic, a little naive, but brave. He gets caught up in this world where Vampires actually exist. So seeing and wondering what he does in that situation, essentially makes him the audience surrogate for us to follow. 

  • Benny’s interactions and dynamic with the characters Blaire and Zoe, as played by Debby Ryan and Lucy Fry respectively, are what makes this worth checking out. 

  • Accentuated red colors contrasted with the blackness of night and shadows, showcases some excellent cinematography.  

  • Felt like it captured a particular atmosphere and vibe that is very much like Los Angeles at night.

NEGATIVES…

  • Simply put, for the mythology and premise that it has, this movie is just not grand or epic enough to stand above it’s derivative nature. 

  • Frustrating contrived illogical moments that could ruin your suspension of disbelief.  

  • Doesn't move fast enough for my taste, and has such a leisure pace that it might make some of you lose interest. 

  • There were several exposition scenes, and certain ones were done a bit on the clunky side. 

  • If you went into this movie specifically because of two certain known actresses, then you will probably be disappointed.

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Night Teeth - watched it on NETFLIX

Titane

POSITIVES…

  • It is safe to say that you probably have never seen a movie premise quite like this before. Give it up for being such an original experience that subtlety gives you lots of thought provoking themes. It’s quite the experience. 

  • Provocative. Erotic. Excessive. Shocking. Twisted. Visceral. Endearing. 

  • Agathe Rousselle and Vincent London are spectacular in this! Their characters, and their connection with each other is just fascinating to observe, and makes you wonder where the two are heading. 

  • Needless to say, the narrative goes in places you might not have expected. 

  • Watching a scene start seemingly innocent enough, and then like WTF did I just see?! It’s nice when a movie can surprise you. Especially when it can do it through some beautifully arresting visuals.

NEGATIVES…

  • Might get too gross or too outrageous for some people. Brutal violence and/or body horror are not for everybody. 

  • Certain scenes that you might not want permanently scarred into your mind. 

  • Depending on how you take it, the second act may feel like a speed bump to the overall drive of the narrative. 

  • There's simply an impossibility to a particular plot that you just might not get over. 

  • May not have the most satisfying conclusion or pay off that you were hoping for.

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Titane - watched it on VIDEO ON DEMAND

Dune

POSITIVES…

  • It's fascinating and interesting to see all that world building in this sci-fi story. Mythology, culture, politics, customs, hierarchy, to particular ways characters communicate with each other, there are so many things that this film is juggling. 

  • There's a majestic beauty and wonder to all the imaginative visual splendor that you get to see in this film. From the set design, the space crafts, the costumes, the locations, to the sand worm, it's just full of eye candy. 

  • Grand and epic feeling set pieces that really showcase it’s high production value. 

  • Swordplay choreography. Gotta love the use of blades in the choreographed action beats. 

  • Timothée Chalamet is excellent in the leading role, and has a spectacular ensemble cast to support him, from Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Javier Bardem, Zendaya, and more!

NEGATIVES…

  • There's a certain denseness to the narrative that might keep you from being completely invested with all the plot threads presented to you. 

  • So much exposition and jargon. Hope you can keep up and not get too confused with what’s going on. 

  • Might not move fast enough for some people. This movie knows it's long and it's milking every minute it needs to tell this story. 

  • Certain characters aren't in it as much as you'd hope they would be 

  • This movie doesn’t hide the fact that it’s telling us an incomplete story, so the conclusion may not completely satisfy you.

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Dune (2021) - watched it on HBO MAX

Injustice

POSITIVES…

  • It’s undeniably fascinating and a guilty pleasure to see our usual protagonists end up becoming the villains of this super hero story.  

  • Due to the heroes vs heroes premise, there are undoubtedly some excellent action set pieces here that you normally would not see. 

  • It’s a thought provoking story that not only pokes at the notions of how far heroes might go in the name of peace, but how far anyone should consider going in the intentions of helping others. That chess game between Mr Terrific and Superman is a good highlight that reflects the themes perfectly. 

  • From the quick pacing to the compelling narrative, they were able to really go places with this story. I genuinely wished they would have made it longer than it’s 80 minutes runtime. 

  • DC fans are going to enjoy seeing all the characters they were able to cram into this movie. Specifically though, it’s the character dynamics that are the highlights, like the familiar Superman and Batman relationship, to the comedic duo of Harley Quinn and Green Arrow.

NEGATIVES…

  • This is either too bloody violent for an animated superhero movie, or not bloody violent enough for this story. 

  • Some people will complain about certain characters dying in this. 

  • There are those who won’t be happy with how certain characters are depicted either. 

  • Then of course there will be complaints about how this doesn’t properly adapt the source material of the video games or the comic books.  

  • Plot conveniences, contrivances, and illogical moments, kinda let you nitpick this movie to death if you wish to do so.

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Injustice - watch it on VIDEO ON DEMAND

The Last Duel

POSITIVES…

  • With the story being told in three chapters, it’s fascinating to see the differences between them. Obvious differences and nuanced ones. Due to the fact this movie is told via this narrative technique, the 153 minutes runtime felt like you were just binging through three episodes of an engrossing TV drama. 

  • Themes in this story that involve the patriarchy, female agency, marginalized people, religious morality, sexual ethics, and politics during the Middle Ages, are all important topics to think about. 

  • The duel between Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris itself was as violent and engaging as you hope it would be. 

  • Medieval era battle sequences were gloriously chaotic and bloody to watch. 

  • Fantastic performance by the cast. Matt Damon was good, Adam Driver was excellent, Jodie Comer was phenomenal, and Ben Affleck was a good kick of energetic levity to an otherwise super serious film.

NEGATIVES…

  • Some odd quick edits and cuts to the narrative that made me think that I should have just waited to watch the eventual Ridley Scott Director’s Cut edition of the film. 

  • There is that particular sequence that might be triggering for some people. Use caution. 

  • Honestly, I would have preferred more screen time for Jodie Comer. Bring on that 360 minutes cut!  

  • I can already see some of the biased people crying that the overall narrative is controversially unfair. 

  • Helmets that only armors half of the face? WTF?!

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The Last Duel - watched in IN THEATERS

Halloween Kills

POSITIVES…

  • Best parts of this movie are obvious. It's the ones with Michael Myers in them. 

  • So many gruesome bloody deaths in this one to please the die hard fans. 

  • I can appreciate the idea of deconstructing the "idea" of who and what Michael Myers is, that further expands the mythology of the character.  

  • “You F***ing Sheep It’s Not Him!!!” The commentary about mob mentality is a thematic plot point that I suppose I could get behind. 

  • The last 15 minutes of this movie is really what you want to see, especially when coming from the 2018 Halloween film.

NEGATIVES…

  • Alright, are they just wasting time on purpose for the eventual next movie, because this feels like it’s just spinning its wheels going round and round with the same old shtick. 

  • There is some really cringey dialogue in this one. Hey writers, what are you doing? 

  • Stupid frustrating as heck characters who continue to do really dumb things, getting into some idiotic situations.  

  • Anthony Michael Hall, this movie isn't doing you any favors. 

  • Those expecting to see a lot of Jamie Lee Curtis in this will probably be disappointed.

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Halloween Kills - watched it on PEACOCK

V/H/S/94

POSITIVES…

  • While the anthology stories found here may seem familiar, they still manage to legitimately give us some good plot surprises to grab your attention. 

  • As much as you could get tired of the genre, the found footage style really does add to the creepy factor. 

  • Solid bloody gore effects and nightmarish creature work. 

  • The fact it looks like I'm watching an old VHS tape on a VCR, low resolution with tracking issues and all, continues to be a nice touch for this movie. 

  • Gotta enjoy that 1990s setting, which adds to the whole appeal of watching these weird and old tapes.

NEGATIVES…

  • Some stories are just simply better than others. 

  • How is the weakest installment of this movie the primary story that frames the anthology? 

  • Dumbassery. Dumbass characters can be annoying to put up with. 

  • There is cringey dialogue in this that sounded just bad. Just bad. 

  • Sometimes the switches between aspect ratios, the editing, and the overall changes in visual quality can take you out of the movie’s VHS gimmick.

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V/H/S/94 - watch it on SHUDDER

Lamb

POSITIVES…

  • As far as bizarre WTF premises goes, this one is a little out there. It will keep you a little guarded jumping into this creepy narrative, not knowing if you should be scared of what’s going to happen, or delighted by the family dynamic presented on screen. 

  • Has a whole fascinating relationship between Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, and Ada. It’s really what carries this film. 

  • Visually solid. The beautiful location, plus the look of Ada, will definitely grab your attention. 

  • That whole captivating third act, starting with an entertaining sequence involving watching a sports game on TV, all the way to that final shot before it cuts to credits. 

  • Thematically has a damningly poignant warning that we should pay heed to.

NEGATIVES…

  • Has a slow pace. Meanders a bit. Seemingly pointless mundane scenes. Boring at times. Basically not for everybody. 

  • Story’s conclusion might be frustrating for some people. 

  • Hope you’re cool with lambs, because bbaaaa bbaaaa bbaaaa 

  • Speaking of which. I really really felt sorry for one particular lamb. 

  • doesthedogdie.com

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Lamb - watched it IN THEATERS

No Time To Die

POSITIVES…

  • It absolutely has the espionage intrigue, cheeky humor, cool vehicles, big action-adventure set pieces, and save the world thrills that you expect and want from a James Bond movie. 

  • Daniel Craig really gives it his all as Bond in this, and handedly carries this movie. Which is good since this is the last film in his tenure as the iconic character. 

  • I know this half a century long franchise has shown us lots of fun entertaining chase sequences before, but this installment in particular really does have some fun entertaining chase sequences that I thoroughly enjoyed watching. 

  • For a film that’s 163 minutes long, I really did not want it to end. I thought it was never boring, it has an engaging story, and the drama among the characters is quite compelling.

  • Ana de Armas as Paloma! She is stunningly fantastic in her role.

NEGATIVES…

  • Specific story details aside, it’s pretty much your familiar plot about saving the world from this evil conniving villain.

  • There are several plot turns and reveals that might upset some people. You can take your pick as to which one/s will be triggering. 

  • It’s understandable that this is primarily a Daniel Craig James Bond movie, but I feel like it allowed him to completely overshadow the characters played by Lashana Lynch, Léa Seydoux, and Rami Malek, who all technically have significantly important featured roles in this story. 

  • I really wanted more of Ana de Armas as Paloma! Hey Amazon, create a Prime Video series on her character. 

  • Product placements! I know we expect to see them, but still…

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No Time To Die - watched it IN THEATERS