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jasynp
Reviews
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
A smile on my face the entire movie
There are so many Easter eggs and fun tributes to the Mario franchise. My entire family saw it together with all different levels of Mario experience, and we all really enjoyed it for different reasons. Not all movies need complicated plots or a secret villain reveal to be enjoyable. Where the movie excels is creating the universe and building on the characters that we know so well. They were able to translate the characters in a smooth comedic way (especially Bowser) and it sets up many different storylines for future movies or other media. I highly recommend watching it in the theater as there are many small details rendered into the scenes that brought a smile to my face.
Blasted: Gutta vs Aliens (2022)
Foreign Alien B-movie- such fun
Cheesy, silly, b-movie fun. The movie is nostalgic of childhood friends and games. It centers around a bachelor party weekend with an eclectic mix of friends/acquaintances during an 'invasion of the body snatchers' plot. The paint-by-numbers storyline full of small town characters keeps it an easy watch. The acting (or at least the English dubbing) and the production value is great for a B-movie. The writing and character development let's you root or boo certain people and there is an mid-credits scene featuring one such character that shows how far they have come. Full of laughs, and crude humor, it's a delightful film to watch.
Coherence (2013)
Guilty Pleasure- Worth a rewatch
What a unique interpretation of this genre with a minimalist approach. If you enjoyed Donnie Darko's in-house philosophy of the rules, you will really enjoy this movie. The cast is able to maneuver the subtle changes that unfold and it has a strong rewatchability. Once the action starts, it's suspense is in the build and your questioning of reality. I won't spoil anything, but they are able to close the story very nicely. After you know the twists, the second watch is actually better than the first. Stick with the opening table talk scene as it's more helpful the second time around. I highly recommend immersing yourself into the storytelling and you will be glad you went on the ride.
That '90s Show (2023)
Not the 90s, but Red and Kitty save the day
I grew up in the 90s and this definitely misses the mark in terms of capturing the era, but this watered down version has some wonderful moments. The real stars are Red and Kitty and their chemistry. They have aged beautifully into their roles as grandparents and they manage to escape coming across as one note versions of their 70s show selves. The kids aren't too bad, but the writers tried to recycle roles of the prior series and I spent most of the time comparing their roles to their retrospective roles. On their own the kid characters are just not that interesting despite the shows attempt to bring more diversity to the template. If you look at shows like Freaks and Geeks or My So Called Life, they used diversity to enhance the plots, whereas this just seems to ignore the era and the struggles of minorities and or gay people of that time.
Pamela, a Love Story (2023)
Genuine and Insightful
Pamela comes across with a freshness that we haven't seen from her before. She is a victim, but she doesn't doesn't let that define her (though you can see her pain). The 90s were a different time and even I was a voyeur to watch those tapes, but I think the documentary does a great job of educating why those tapes are different from her nude modeling. She is an entertainer for sure, but it's great to see her get a redemption arc towards the end of the documentary with her career. She has done a lot, and she deserves more credit for her causes such as animals. I hope she continues this path and continues to do great things.
Pressure Cooker (2023)
If 'Revenge is a dish best served cold' was a cooking show
Netflix really pushed this show on me and I honestly found it both trashy and enjoyable at the same time. They really used the word "forward" way too much during the show, so I will in this review. It was reality-forward and the food took a back burner to the drama. There was some talented chefs who cooked food I would love to try, but basically it was Survivor of cooking meets Big Brother. It's obvious the casting directors try to stir the drama, such as early episodes when someone comes into the confessional while the other person is trash talking them, and it was very distracting watching how they set things up. If you treat the penultimate episode of the finale, it's a much higher score.
Poketto monsutâ (1997)
1st time series watching as a Dad
I'm a 37 year old dad and was never into Pokémon as a kid. That being said, my kids have really gotten into the world of Pokémon. What I enjoy most about the series is the one to one interaction of new Pokémon throughout the series. I'm learning and seeing some of these characters for the first time ever. I'm hooked and want to see all 151 (original) Pokémon. My 3-year old son can name more Pokémon than letters of the alphabet. It's really been a nice bonding experience with my kids as I am a big gamer. What makes the show very enjoyable is it's easy pacing, repetition of human characters, and the timelessness of the world it creates. I see moments of the 90s in there, but to my kids, it's just part of the quirkiness of the show. It does have a few rough edges here and there, but they tend to reset on the next episode.
Cooties (2014)
Too gory for a comedy horror
Many films and tv series ignore the child zombie factor in their plots. I was excited to watch this film as I enjoy the zombie genre, and films like Shaun of the Dead. Rainn Wilson was a highlight of the film, even when some of the jokes throughout the movie fell a little flat. The characters are unlikeable by design, but where the movie fails is the over compensation of gore to contrast the child (and even a baby) zombie factor. In general, 'what could have been' makes a stronger film concept than what was presented. I'll watch it again as I do enjoy B-movie horror. I'll just skip some of the gore next time.
Poketto monsutâ baioretto (2022)
First Pokémon Game, Dad of 2 young kids
I've been a huge Nintendo fans, but by the time Pokémon came out, I was too old to play it. Now I have a 3 year old boy and 7 year old Girl, and wanted a game they could actively play and participate in. Well, they freaking love everything Pokémon and we have started to expand our Pokémon games and TV series. For a newbie, this is such a fun and easy going game to get your feet wet in such a large Pokémon universe. It certainly has some glitches, some questionable graphics (based on games like Breath of Wild), but for kids who aren't jaded by that stuff, the Pokémon are animated in a way that you can fall in love with them, and isn't that the point of the series?
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Choppy, but immersive
The front part of the movie skips some beats and notes, but once the characters get to where they are going, it smoother sailing. I highly recommend watching it in the theater as there are just so many details in the movie that are stunning. The change of location seemed unnecessary as it's being presented in the movie, but honestly it took the movie in its own needed direction. Part of me wishes they didn't bring back the humans and let us just enjoy the world of Pandora more because the non-action sections were so immersive. It was definitely a long movie, but didn't feel as long as it was and I managed to stay keep focused on the movie even with my ADHD.
The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari (2022)
Interesting Documentary but with Gaps
What this documentary suffers mostly from is the caution of story tellers to not say something that can be used against them in a lawsuit later on. The big mystery becomes who was responsible and they touch the surface of it, to a deficit. Where it's really strong are the moment by moment accounts from real survivors and the audio/video recordings from them. While watching, I had to search the internet to learn more of the fundamentals of what happened with these events. The gaps and caution to tell parts of the story make it difficult to get behind the editing they chose for specific moments of the story. The ending felt rushed and they could have told more about the recovery. I read other stories from people who chose not to do the documentary and was flabbergasted by their struggles. I'd recommend research first and then watch.
Wednesday (2022)
Goth Riverdale (circa Season 1)
It's got the balance between spooky and kooky down. It reminds me a lot of season 1 of Riverdale where it's restrained enough to keep you wanting more. What really works is the focus on the main character- one who could have come across as one note- but much like her Cello Playing she knows how to hit both the high and low notes. The mix of secondary characters adds smoothly to the story. For any Game of Thrones fans, they will really enjoy Gwendoline Christie'a role. She is a diverse actress who pairs well against an anti-hero role of Jenna Ortega. Another shining actress is Riki Lindhome (from the comedy band Garfunkel and Oates) and Emma Myers plays the quirky friend role well. Like most tv series, it does have some misfires - mostly the casting of Morticia, but she isn't in it enough to distract the viewer. Hopefully it doesn't follow in the path of Riverdale and go too far off the wheel with writing or like Game of Thrones, where they throw away all character development in its last season. The actors really made the story, and their in-between moments is what kept it grounded. With the wrong script or wrong actors, this could have been a real mess.
Strange World (2022)
Good Streaming Film, but Forgettable
I have two kids, 3 and 7, and it was a fun film to stream over winter break. There are moments that are awesome, but it's a Mad Libs of movie plots- Up, Pandora, Journey to Center of Earth, the Croods 2, Onward, Lightyear, and more that it just doesn't make sense. Compared to movies like Moana and Encanto, it just doesn't hold up and takes itself too serious that it's not humorous- aside from Splat (basically the same character as the cat from Lightyear). It works as a streamer because the kids could get up and run around with their toys and I could answer emails while not feeling bad about it. I would have hard a harder time in the theater sitting through the entire thing. It's impressive visuals get lost on boredom.