Change Your Image
mtwhite-32612
Reviews
Her (2013)
Part of me likes it but this movie kind of blows
The only reason this movie has gotten a 4 is because the acting is really good across the board, and they definitely portray an accurate and powerful full range of emotion. However, the whole concept is just a little bizarre obviously, and the characters are frustrating. Joaquin Phoenix's character continually pissed me off throughout this movie. He has multiple opportunities at bagging attractive, intelligent, and exciting women in real life and this guy falls in love with his computer. It honestly perpetuates people just living in a digital reality instead of the real world and it's kind of annoying.
I Am Not a Serial Killer (2016)
Spoilers Included but don't watch this movie anyway
So the only reason that I even gave this movie two stars is because of what this movie could've been. So the basis of the story is that there's a kid who's a diagnosed sociopath with serial killer-esque tendencies and in his small town there's a serial killer on the loose. Now the focus throughout much of the movie is on the kid and his therapist and his family life. The movie could've gone in multiple directions: maybe the kid is the killer, maybe he solves the case being a sociopath himself Hannibal Lecter style, and somehow he would reconcile his issues with his family and his emotions etc etc. Instead, guess who the serial killer is: it's some alien monster living inside of the human body of the kid's elderly neighbor who kills so that he can take organs and make himself live longer. The movie turned into something out of Men in Black when it could've been a very interesting watch. The kid sort of reconciles his issues by killing the alien with his mom which gives them sort of a bond but it's so purely ridiculous that there's nothing powerful or emotive there. The kid witnesses a bunch of the murders in which the elderly neighbor seems to have a kind of superhuman strength which leads the audience to believe that maybe the neighbor isn't human. While watching, my friend and I were both trying to predict the ending and we kept saying "well maybe the guy is just some alien but that would kind of make the movie stupid and a waste of time right?" But they did it anyway. The ending was both predictable and totally outrageous. The movie started to develop the different side plots or elements of the kid's life like finding a potential romantic interest, having issues with his absentee father and his single mother, and working through counseling with his therapist. All of these different narratives were totally cast away and the movie morphed into an unfunny Men in Black that futilely attempted to be emotionally powerful.
The First Purge (2018)
Purely Ridiculous
The redeeming factor that gives this movie 5 stars is just how comical the entire concept is. You have this fictitious government that is supposed to be set in the very near future and be realistic, and is engineering a program to basically exterminate black people in the projects. And to defend the streets of Staten Island are like 10 drug dealers who are somehow just as well trained and equipped as US military personnel. On top of that, there's a side plot where a kid tries to kill a crackhead and can't manage to win with a gun against said crackhead who's outfitted with a pair of syringes. Everything about the movie is ridiculous and I don't think it completely means to be but it definitely has some funny moments.
The Equalizer 2 (2018)
Well done action movie
This isn't going to win any awards but if you're going out to the movies with some friends, this isn't a bad pick. Denzel is great as expected and the action is fun to watch and keeps the audience engaged. It's not exactly a plot-driven movie as you can probably tell, but with that said the plot is fairly solid without holes in it as some action movies tend to fall victim to. One small issue is the irrelevant side plot with the kid in his neighborhood that doesn't exactly lead up to any sort of resolution but provides for some character development. Not a must watch, but worth your time in my opinion.
Split (2016)
Enjoyable up until the end
At the outset of this movie, I loved the premise, a suspenseful thriller with 3 girls kidnapped and having to manage a way to escape a man with over 20 varying personalities. It was an exceedingly interesting concept and as the plot and the character of Kevin developed, it only became more compelling. James McAvoy did an excellent job with one of the more difficult roles imaginable in the film industry. Where this movie faltered, and in a major way, was the ending, in which Kevin becomes "The Beast," a new manifestation of his personality disorder that is essentially a supervillain that his brain has willed into existence. The movie departed from the suspenseful, intense story of a fairly believable character with a split personality disorder into this fantastical horror movie that was bordering on ridiculous. I think that the movie still had enough entertainment value and a compelling enough story to manage a 5/10 but I was entirely disappointed by the decision to wrap this story up with the unleashing of The Beast.
Frat Star (2017)
Undoubtedly worth a watch
Okay, is Frat Star a plot-driven modern masterpiece of cinema? Not by most standards. However, the movie has far too many hilarious scenes and quotable lines to discard as a downright bad movie. The acting for every single supporting character was phenomenal without fail. Nick Cooper could've been a better protagonist with a better actor but all in all, the pervasive comedy of the movie was great. The film had its failings with attempts at drama but even then the drama had its comedic value at being so awkward. I would go so far as to say Frat Star is absolutely a must watch and many of the critic and user reviews of the movie take it too seriously. The movie doesn't necessarily push an intense underlying social commentary but it is a hilarious spoof on Greek life. The only aspect of the movie that leaves you utterly disappointed is the very ending but that doesn't take away from the sheer number of quotable one-liners and outrageous comedy scenes.