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Green Eggs and Ham (2019)
I swear to you there is a "Usual Suspects" reference in this show
I never expected myself to be sucked in by a Netflix show based off of Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham, but for whatever reason the show-runners committed hard to this premise. It's definitely directed towards kids, but the execution is nothing short of brilliant. The animation is beautiful, it has tons of really clever sight-gags and jokes, even if some of them don't land, you barely notice because the show runs at such a brisk pace. I don't know, but everything about the show felt very genuine and sweet, and it's nice to see a Seuss adaptation that's not completely awful.
Rim of the World (2019)
Netflix Delivers Another Masterpiece in Awfulness
This is one of the worst film I have ever seen. Hands down. Not an exaggeration. It makes me upset to think about it. I can't think of one redeemable quality, nor can I articulate exactly why this movie in particular rubbed me the wrong way. The kids are just terrible, but it's really not their fault because I feel like they were forced to improvise a lot of the comedy and its BAD. I had to skip a few moments of scenes just out of sheer embarrassment.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
A Unique Gem
Moonrise Kingdom chronicles the life of two teenage lovers during the 1960s that flee their New England town, which causes the locals to search for them. The characters involve a marching scout sam, who has been outcasted by the rest of his troop, and an aggressive teenage girl named Suzy, who has shut herself off from the rest of her family. The characters are really what drive the focus of the film, and anyone who is a fan of light hearted and feel-good films should be able to enjoy the film, while also being able to embrace its distinctive dry, sarcastic humor.
The movie is influential to me on a personal level because it was the first film that I saw that made me realize that film can be much more than just entertainment, but it can also balance artistic integrity as well, as evident in the masterful presentation. The first time that my mother had put on the movie, I thought it was going to be very dull and uninteresting based on the plot synopsis, seeing as though I was only eleven at the time. But after watching the film, there was plenty of visual humor and colorful characters to keep my interest.
The cinematography is symmetrical and the editing is used to an almost striking effect that, in my case, mimics a classic storybook that lends itself to multiple viewings (Also, the books that Suzy stole from the library could also represent this idea). This style is also frequently used in Wes Anderson's other films, such as Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), The Grand Budapest Hotel(2014), and, just recently, Isle of Dogs (2018). A lot of the characters behave in a almost monotone manner that makes the dialogue sound a little stilted and monotone at times, however, I believe that it lends itself to a more surrealistic take on more serious issues that the film tackles. The themes that Anderson focuses on are teenage adolescence and childhood and how it juxtaposes with the adult world and how the two perspectives contrast.
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)
Please Never Again.
I'll make this short.
I didn't think I would end up seeing this film, until my family bought a ticket for me, and blindly accepted without thinking of the repercussions of what the experience would bring. But it ended up just taking my time, because the film was mostly irritable and empty in substance.
The movie was so laughable and boring that my mind began to wonder by the end scene; like, how is Cher is only three years older than Merly Streep and yet she is supposed to be her mother? I understand Mamma Mia! thrives on being cheesy escapism but there has to be a point where its just has nothing else to offer but the nostalgia of the first film (Which I didn't particularly like either). Merly Streep had no reason to be dead other than the fact that she probably knew this movie was going to be a huge disaster and wanted to be involved as little as possible.
The songs in this film were passable, but not memorable, unlike the first film- which I believe was the only redeeming quality of the first one. None of the acting was mentionable either. If I were to describe this film in one word, it would either be nonsense or bland. Or bland nonsense in two.
This movie came to a GRINDING halt every time it would cut back to present day, which makes me think if they should have just ditched those scenes all-together and made a full prequel film.
Yet another example of a studio trying to cash in on its properties without putting any thought into the actual product.
Pros:
-Some of the songs were nice?
Cons:
-Unfocused
-Boring and poorly paced
-Cher was in it
-The present day scenes were awful
Tag (2018)
A Corporate and Unfunny Waste of Time.
Tag feels like a bunch of studio executives put together a stupid premise and a star studded cast so that hopefully they would make something that audiences would see; and from what I observed in the late Thursday showing that I attended, people were eating this movie up.
I, however, found it to be one of the worst movies this year, and perhaps that will still be the case by the end of 2018.
I usually find a lot of entertainment to dumb comedies such as this to watch with a big crowd, and this year was no exception (films such as Blockers and Game Night ended up being very enjoyable). The difference between this film and those two movies is very simple: The movie is horrendously unfunny and tone deaf. This movie suffers from an underdeveloped script and a premise that would only work if it was taken to the extreme, but this movie decides to play it safe for some reason with dumb slapstick that only exists to generate cheap laughs. This movie is insulting to the audience's intelligence by thinking that people would pay money to see such uninspired and dull filmmaking.
There is also a lot of things that I didn't expect to take issue with and that was the fake smoke. Every time a character would smoke a cigarette or use a bong, it is so obvious that the smoke was added in post by the way it just disappears. How much do you not have to care to not even have the smoke look realistic? There is also this girl in the movie that two of the main characters have a crush on (Played by Rashida Jones) and it goes absolutely nowhere by the end of it and its only purpose was too pad the movie to an appropriate theatrical runtime.
Which leads into the next problem, which is that the movie is super boring and horribly paced. The plot is so thin that the movie as no other choice than to just have the characters just hang out at random locations with horrible dialogue. The movie tries so hard to have heartwarming message about friendship but its not developed and is artificially used to try and connect with the audience.
Most of the acting is ranges from tolerable to awful, the worst being Leslie Bibb, who plays Jeremy Renner's fiancé. Her acting is what gave me the most laughs in the movie. Her facial expressions are so over the top and her delivery is so ham fisted that you almost wouldn't believe that she was a professional actress.
The one redeeming quality of this film would be the over the top action sequences of the rest of the gang trying to catch Jeremy Renner is some clever ways, and even though most of the humor was unbearable, I found that Hannibal's delivery of these lines were very well done, and I wish that he was in more movies; just not this one.
Run away from this movie at all costs.
Negatives:
- Fake Smoke? What?
- The Acting (Jeremy Renner's wife in this movie is an awful actress)
- Terrible Dialogue
Postives: +Hannibal Buress +Some funny moments
Action Point (2018)
WOW! A Fun Summer Ride for All Ages!
Man, I had so much F U N, while watching this masterpiece in an empty theater that I actually threw up on an old married couple out of pure shock; then proceeded to buy a ticket to the next showtime. Johnny Knoxville is this generation's Tom Cruise, and if you disagree then you are just a hater. People throwing themselves into dangerous situations is automatically funny! WHY DON'T PEOPLE GET THAT?!?! Those haters don't know what they are talking about, this is real art. If this doesnt get nominated for something I will actually burn down the academy myself. JACK ASS 4 LIFE YOOOOOO!
11/10
+Great Depth and Emotional Impact
+Johnny Knoxville's Acting Career as a Ninja Turtle
+Amazing Performances
+Excellent Score
+Cinematography
+Oscar Worthy Sound Design
-Over too soon.
Upgrade (2018)
A fun but ultimately forgettable action flick
Going into Upgrade, I was expecting some slick action set pieces sort of in the same line as the John Wick series. Although the fights differ stylistically from those films, it has the same amount of grit and precision that creates a real sense of tension with each hit that lands; The only problem is that the start of the movie is really slow and hard to get engaged with due to a lack of substance. Although its pulled off in a believable way, we've all explored the themes of future technology to extreme lengths, and this film just piggybacks off of better sci-fi installments with the first act of the film. But as soon as the first fight comes, it moves at a steadier pace than the first half and becomes more fun than just a chore to sit through. One thing that really stands out to me, however, would be the cinematography. The way the camera follows the main character in this film is very unique and almost robotic; especially during those action sequences as the camera follows every move the character makes. It's hard to explain, but it definitely struck me as the best aspect of the movie. The twist at the end, while implausible and perhaps a bit contrived, adds enough of a dramatic effect to close the movie off. Not the best movie ever made, but decent enough to rent.
6/10
+Great Cinematography
+Fight sequences
+Cool twist
+A compelling lead
-Some awkward pacing
-Script was hit and miss
Kick Drum Hearts (2011)
Great Documentary
the movie know how to illustrate each member of the team as a real person. Luke Porst shows that he knows how to make a compelling picture. Everything to the sound design and the cinematography is truly phenomenal. This is probably one of the most interesting documentary I have ever seen. I would like to see more from Luke Porst and hope he continues to make more movies because I see a lot of potential in his future as a movie director. He takes a lot of elements from other documentaries, and yet is able to make it seem fresh and new. Everyone on the team is immediately likable and fleshed out; The movie is funny, heartwarming, and inspiring to cross country runners everywhere. To see a movie about sports that focuses on the heart and soul of what it's all about is very reminiscent of other successful sports movies. Thus, I would recommend that people take a look and see what the movie has to offer.