Hustle

POSITIVES

  • If you love Basketball, or those underdog sports stories, then this is a movie for you. 

  • Adam Sandler is perfectly casted and excellent as Stanley Sugarman. His chemistry with Juancho Hernangomez as Bo Cruz (also excellent in the role) really keeps you engaged with the movie. Shout out to supporting stars Queen Latifah, Kenny Smith, Jordan Hull, and all the NBA personalities that make an appearance in this. 

  • Gotta enjoy seeing the basketball games and the training montage shown in this movie. Good stuff! 

  • Those NBA related Easter eggs and cameos. Streetballers get to shine too. Have fun with all that. 

  • While it thematically has a rather expected message to say, it’s still a worthwhile one to tell. Gives the movie the heart and inspiration it needs. 

NEGATIVES 

  • I mean, this is a sports story narrative you've seen before. You have an idea how it's all going to play out. 

  • Speaking of predictability, certain plot elements, turn of events, foreshadowing, and tropes, are all once again pretty derivative. 

  • You know you’re going to criticize the sports stars trying to play Hollywood actors here. Even if they weren’t bad at all, it’s going to be distracting anyway. 

  • Apologies to Ben Foster and Anthony Edwards, I guess you're both the stereotypical cliché antagonists in this story. 

  • "Who is that guy?" "Is that your boy Stan?" How could you not know at this point in the movie?!! 

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Hustle - watched it on NETFLIX

Jurassic World: Dominion

POSITIVES

  • Looking to see some Dinosaurs in a blockbuster movie? Curious to see what the modern world might look like with Dinosaurs in our presence? You just might find something to like here then. 

  • A huge part of the appeal of seeing this is the return of the trio of characters from the original Jurassic Park movie, and their meeting the characters of the Jurassic World trilogy. Among the whole cast however, it’s Jeff Goldblum reprising his role as the humorously entertaining Chaotician Dr. Ian Malcolm that’s the MVP of this ensemble. 

  • There are a lot of set pieces throughout the movie, but in particular the whole story arc in Malta was the one I had the most fun with, which includes a chase sequence to keep things exciting. 

  • The concluding message is worthwhile enough, and comes with a beautiful montage to close off the movie. 

  • Yes, there is a lot of fan-service and callbacks to the original Jurassic Park that you might enjoy seeing, plus some self-aware meta one-liners that you might find amusing. 

NEGATIVES

  • We get it! You’re calling back to plot elements from the original Jurassic Park movie, and you’re self-aware at how silly this all is, plus all the meta references! Can you get any more ridiculously obvious?  

  • How many close calls for our characters will it take before it starts to just be stupid silly? How many hand palms to stop dinosaurs do you have to see before you want a dinosaur to just bite them off? How many wealthy tech moguls in movies that have to look like some Steve Jobs caricature must there be before you say enough with this tired trope already? I’m sure you’ll find the answer to all that when you see this movie. 

  • Needless to say, this movie relies on too many derivative plot developments and tropes to maintain a unique identity of itself, that it really all just feels like a forgettable experience. It’s like it’s just going through the motions.

  • Many times I just wanted to yell at the movie for a lot of the nonsensical stuff that was being shown to me. This is rife for parodies. 

  • Not a fan of the fact that so many of the dinosaurs in this movie are essentially just seen as giant animals that some people just aren’t afraid of anymore. Way to underplay the scare factor of these creatures. 

loveditenjoyeditlikedit IT’S OKAY itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Jurassic World: Dominion - watched in IN THEATERS

RRR

POSITIVES

  • A spectacularly unbelievable crowd pleaser of an epic period action drama that is so earnest and has so much heart. This movie goes big, and doesn’t shy away from that fact, and then goes bigger! 

  • Story-wise, plot-wise, thematic-wise, this narrative is just so clever, engaging, emotionally moving, and so very cool. So very cool! 

  • Amazing giant set pieces. Like there’s a lot of these enjoyable set pieces that capture a lot of what you love about blockbuster films. The introduction scenes of our lead characters Raju and Bheem alone are quite the sights to behold, and there's so much more than that to come. So much more! Of course there’s a fantastic dance sequence too! 

  • The pairing of Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr. is just brilliant. There’s an ensemble cast and all, but those two actors make this movie so incredibly entertaining. 

  • There is so much beautiful imagery here and some still frame captures that just wowed me, coupled with some awesome choreography. Visuals to die for! 

NEGATIVES 

  • Hope you’re okay reading subtitles. 

  • There's quite a bit of exaggeration that challenges your suspension of disbelief. 

  • More brutal than you might prefer. 

  • Don't be bothered too much by the obviously CG animals. 

  • The British are maybe too over-the-top cartoonishly villainous. 

LOVED IT enjoyeditlikedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

RRR - watched it on NETFLIX

Crimes of the Future

POSITIVES

  • If you’re into disgusting gory imagery and body horror stuff, then this might be something you’d want to check out. 

  • The premise of this disturbing future world and the thematic commentaries are fascinating to contemplate. 

  • Expositional stuff and jargon aside, there are conversations in this that are generally interesting to listen to. 

  • Léa Seydoux as Caprice was generally solid in this. Watch it for her. 

  • I suppose I’ll give the film credit for being something you don’t normally find in movies. 

NEGATIVES

  • Might just be too weird and nonsensical to be entertaining to watch, nevermind the disgusting gory imagery and body horror stuff. 

  • Dare I just say it? I was bored. Movie dragged on. It was indulgent, pretentious, obnoxious, and unappealing. 

  • What is up with Viggo Mortensen playing a Ninja? A Ninja that constantly coughs and clears his throat. Also take a shot whenever you hear his character’s name, Saul Tenser. 

  • Is this an advertisement to remind you to get a good bed to sleep on and a good chair to have a meal on? 

  • The mixture of retro technology and incredibly high tech being used in this future world just did not work for me. Was this a budget thing? Some attempt to appear remotely timeless?

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Crimes of the Future - watched in IN THEATERS

Top Gun: Maverick

POSITIVES

  • Fans of the original worried that this Legacyquel wasn’t going to live up to its predecessor, don’t worry, because this absolutely lives up to it! That feeling you remember from watching the 1986 film is completely replicated and even improved on with such reverence via this more modern version of that story. 

  • A lot of what makes this entertaining to watch are all those training sequences, plus that exciting third act, and it’s all thanks to those real F-18 fighter jets used in the movie to give it that authenticity and incredible attention to detail. 

  • Tom Cruise is still fantastic as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, and his interactions with the rest of this ensemble cast is great to drive the plot. Welcome to Top Gun Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Monica Barbaro, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Lyliana Wray, Bashir Salahuddin, Charles Parnell, Jay Ellis, Danny Ramirez, plus more! 

  • As fun as the fighter jet actions are, I really liked the humor found in this, especially the ones involving Penny Benjamin. 

  • Visuals are amazing and all, but it definitely has to be pointed out that this movie still has that solid soundtrack you expect from a Top Gun movie. 

NEGATIVES

  • Probably stays a little too close to the same narrative of the previous film. 

  • Kinda wished it didn’t do all those plot cliches and predictable turn of events. 

  • Apologies to Jon Hamm and Glen Powell for the cookie cutter stock characters that were given to them. 

  • For fans of the original, there is one plot question you will be asking that will just never be answered or acknowledged. 

  • If this was supposed to be a passing of the torch to a new generation of characters, apparently Tom Cruise didn’t get the message, because this really made sure you didn’t forget that Maverick is our hero of this movie. 

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Top Gun: Maverick - watched in IN THEATERS

The Valet

POSITIVES

  • It's a conventional sitcom type premise, that has heart and sweetness and all, but sometimes that's all you need to pass the time. 

  • Eugenio Derbez is great as our lead protagonist Antonio Flores, and is just the guy you want to root for here. A lot of the ensemble are generally solid in their roles as well, from Carmen Salinas, Samara Weaving, Amaury Nolasco, Noemi Gonzalez, Armando Hernandez, Carlos Santos, Max Greenfield, Ji Yong Lee, plus many more.

  • Appreciated how this movie was unafraid to have their POC characters actually speak their own language (with English closed captions) a lot of the time. A huge appeal of this movie is how it handles its POC characters.

  • Narrative moves at a careful pace, but peppers in a lot of noteworthy scenes that gives this movie life. 

  • The commentaries and themes presented aren't anything you haven’t heard before, but they are still worth repeating, which this movie does a good job at doing. 

NEGATIVES 

  • You've seen this kind of movie before. It doesn’t really add too much new to this kind of story. Not to mention that this is already a remake as it is. 

  • There are predictably stupid stuff that do happen. Prepare to roll your eyes. 

  • Conclusion takes way too many convenient short cuts with the plot than it probably should have. 

  • It takes quite a while to warm up to the character of Olivia. 

  • Movie should have had a shorter run time. It drags on in parts. 

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

The Valet - watched it on HULU

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers

POSITIVES

  • It’s a buddy comedy thriller adventure, set in a Los Angeles where humans and animated characters coexist with each other. Don’t you want to see more of this kind of world? 

  • The different Animation techniques, animation styles, mixed with the live-action world are simply fantastic. 

  • A huge chunk of this movie’s appeal are all the clever pop culture references, the fun cameos, the background easter eggs, the nostalgia, to all the winky to the camera meta-ness of it all. 

  • Having a comedy with John Mulaney as Chip and Adam Samberg as Dale, and directed by Akiva Schaffer is why this movie works the way it does. It’s only more entertaining because of the rest of the cast which includes Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Tim Robinson, KiKi Layne, and the always great J.K. Simmons.

  • Second banana, stinky cheese, bootlegging, whales, artichokie, human teeth, Rescue Rangers cologne, men's wearhouse, and so many other things that put a smile on my face. 

NEGATIVES 

  • Since this film is more about recognizing known intellectual properties, movies, and its reliance on nostalgia, so it's not exactly a fresh take on the story it is emulating. So expect the usual plot tropes. 

  • There are jokes and certain plot points that do seem to repeat itself more often than they probably should. Plus pop culture references as humor can only go so far.

  • Considering the content of this movie, I’m not sure if kids today should watch this. If anything else, this is for kids of the ‘80s and ‘90s.  

  • The more you try to think about how the world presented in this movie works, the more it might hurt your brain. 

  • Purists will have issues with what this movie does with some of the characters shown here. 

LOVED IT enjoyeditlikedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers - watched it on DISNEY+

Men

POSITIVES

  • Mysterious. Unsettling. Fascinating. Creepy. Suspenseful. Terrifying. This is that kind of movie that will keep you invested in wanting to see where it’s going, and at the same time might make you want to watch this while peeking through your fingers. 

  • Stellar narrative that keeps you engaged with the provocative and disturbing plot. From the intercutting editing, the flickering lights, the camera’s perspective, the careful pacing that applies the necessary tension, the soundtrack & song choices, to specific scenes & sequences that really stand out in the overall story. 

  • Fantastic cinematography, beautiful settings, striking visuals, unforgettable imagery. Some of the things I saw in this film will be ingrained in the back of my head. 

  • Jessie Buckley is amazing as Harper, for really tapping into those emotions required from her character. Special shout out to the excellent Rory Kinnear, who is just able to do so much in this movie that he deserves a round of applause. 

  • The important thematic commentary here was incredibly visualized in such a manner that only Writer/Director Alex Garland is capable of achieving. 

NEGATIVES

  • Might be frustrating putting up with this movie’s need to be super obvious in what it’s trying to say, and it’s need to embrace not wanting to explain everything. 

  • Needless to say, the theme and commentary might be quite triggering and off putting. Definitely not for everybody’s taste. 

  • Can get kinda graphic, gory, bloody, grotesque, and nightmarish. Might not be to your liking. 

  • How about male nudity? You good with male nudity? No? This may not be for you then. 

  • That final sequence really goes for it. Maybe a little too much. A little? No, it really goes on far longer than it probably has to.  

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Men - watched in IN THEATERS

We Need to Talk

POSITIVES

  • Premise is nice and simple. It's the kind of topic and subject matters that can be genuinely interesting. 

  • Banter. That’s the main crux to what’s supposed to entertain you here. Oh, and to find the conclusion to the reason this movie is called “We Need to Talk.” 

  • While James Maslow carries the movie alright, it’s his interactions with three particular supporting cast; Johnathan Fernandez, Devin Kennedy, and Emily Bett Rickards, that helps keep things interesting and engaging. 

  • Despite the simple nature of the plot, there are some positive themes found in this movie after all. 

  • Fans of the video game “Splitgate” should appreciate this movie a little bit more than others. 

NEGATIVES

  • Lead character is not that likable. I'm watching a whole movie about this guy?! 

  • The dialogue can be a little cringe. Probably even annoying. Plus the humor and jokes just aren't that funny a good chunk of the time. 

  • There's a bunch of dumb unbelievable plot points that I’m disappointed are in this gamer centric story. 

  • Cliché trope about video gamers and the people that don’t understand them. Tired. 

  • Not the biggest production by any means. Probably should have just been a mini-series on YouTube. 

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We Need to Talk - watched it on TUBI

the Bad Guys

POSITIVES

  • Animated movie involving a crew and heists? Yes! Easter eggs and references to other heist and crime movies? Yes and Yes! Plus it even has a solid theme and messaging that I’m all on board with? Yes and Yes and Yes!!! 

  • The simple looking but very effective animation style is actually quite charming.

  • This motley crue ensemble cast of characters are great! Sam Rockwell as Wolf, Marc Maron as Snake, Craig Robinson as Shark, Anthony Ramos as Piranha, Awkwafina as Webs, Zazie Beetz as Diane Foxington, Richard Ayoade as Prof Marmalade. Loved their performances. 

  • Those conversations, banter, and expositions of the plans and stuff. Excellent! 

  • There are a lot of clever and creative bits that pop up here and there, that only makes this a far better movie than the trailers would suggest. 

NEGATIVES

  • Simply put, the many impossibilities and nonsense that are found in this movie are things some people may just not get over with to fully enjoy watching this. 

  • Some typical plot conveniences and certain predictable plot reveals, cheapens the story a little bit.  

  • Subjective and all, but I have to say that the comedy and humor can be hit or miss. 

  • Somehow one fart joke wasn’t enough, because they actually go down that path multiple times! 

  • Silly complaint, and probably unfair, but the logic behind the movie’s world of anthropomorphic animals, mixed with regular humans, mixed with traditional animals, just bugged me with how they didn’t quite sell me on that idea here. 

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The Bad Guys - watched it via VIDEO ON DEMAND