Watched on Thursday January 2, 2025.
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Had essentially 0 interest in seeing this, but when the nephew comes to visit, there’s a strong chance I’m going to take him to the movies. Maybe I set the bar very low, but it was honestly a pleasant time back in the Lion King world and a fun enough new story.
I still have yet to see the 2019 remake (and plan on avoiding it still) so seeing the emotionless animals and other original complaints was jarring, but I found Mufasa to have a sense of adventure with plenty of enjoyable action sequences to go along with a nice story about the rise and fall of the Mufasa and Scar brotherhood. Im no LK purist, so I’m not going to nitpick the origins, but I did feel that the film was at its worst when it felt the need to force in old characters such as Timon and Pumbaa. I get it, it’s freaking hard to tell the lions apart and a few more familiar faces should see welcomed, but the lion brotherhood story was strong enough without all the extra shenanigans. The music was indeed forgettable and we obviously know where the story is going, but Mufasa had enough heart and adventure to significantly surpass my expectations. I’m not eager to see another Lion King movie, but this at least justified its existence.
Also props to my 5 year old nephew who conceded at the end that I was right and in fact Mufasa’s brother was going to be Scar, as he told me multiple times in the movie that I was wrong. Also pretty sure he’s not the only 5 year old that the story confused. Too many generations of lions that all look the same.
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As a tired and struggling parent of a toddler, I was fully expecting to relate to this movie. While Nightbitch captures the isolation and exhaustion of parenting, especially the 9 to 5 parenthood grind, it fails to present it in a coherent and enjoyable manner, instead continuing to play up the dog antics. It’s over the top and honestly unnecessary as there are definitely some good moments and powerful portrayals of parental sacrifice and motherhood. But at just over 90 minutes, I found this to be a slog and the story never came together for me.
I should probably get to sleep now so I’m rested for my son tomorrow.
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Watched on Friday December 20, 2024.
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Has a lot of the typical pros and cons of a classic movie of this age. It’s pleasant and charming, a simple story of two people falling in love, lead by Jimmy Stewart being Jimmy Stewart. I was able to instantly identify the shop owner as THE wizard of Oz and occasionally struggled to pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. The dialogue is so dated that I find it hard to believe anyone ever spoke this way and it’s still funny to think calling someone bowlegged was the ultimate insult back in the day.
Still it’s pure and has heart, culminating in a great final scene that goes slightly different than expected. Almost Christmas-adjacent but has enough Christmas spirit and goodwill to make this a pleasant holiday watch
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After a bit of a pause, Christmas marathon returns with an interesting one. At first, the lack of typical romcom nonsense was refreshing, as this is basically just pure single lady fanfic for the holidays. I found all the leads charming but there is an insane lack of conflict for a movie of this length. Everything just goes fairly great for our two location-swapping gals and I kept waiting for more to the story but that’s it’s. It’s just a romance that gives you the happy ending with not much of a roller coaster along the way. It’s totally fine but would be so so so much better at around 90 minutes. Loses so much charm due to its length.
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Nice tribute to George Michael and the GOAT holiday song but leaves a lot to be desired. Thought it would be like the Netflix show, Song Exploder, where they breakdown the production process of certain songs. This has about 5 minutes of that, and it’s easily the standout part of it. Unfortunately there’s simply not enough meat on the bones for this to be an hour +. The concept of revisiting the location of the iconic music video seemed great but it was more friends reminiscing and didn’t bring much enjoyment to the viewer. Fortunately the song still remains S tier.
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The 5th annual Christmas Movie Day is officially underway and what better way to start it with a Hallmark movie?! Well, there definitely could be better ways but after never watching a Hallmark movie in my life, I decided this year it had to change. Some “research” led me to this film, seen as one of the “better” Hallmark movies and after watching it, it was everything I expected, for good and bad. And I totally see the appeal
It’s nonsense, predictable and extremely cheesy. The humor is cringe and the writing feels wildly dated. The main cameo in this movie is 90s track star Jackie Joyner Kersee, who appears briefly on a phone in what was likely a Cameo app paid video. What an insanely bizarre “celeb” appearance, BUT I’m absolutely here for it all. Can I see myself getting into the cheese that is Hallmark movies? No. But the predictable and gooey nature does have some sort of effect that you can’t help but smile, even when you are laughing at the same waiter serving seemingly every restaurant, the town of Fulton, Illinois being a workplace need during the holidays, and two grown adults going along with this premise.
All in all, it’s totally passable and completely pleasant. Might have to add another to the marathon next year. Fortunately it seems all these actors are in every holiday Hallmark movie, so I may be seeing them again soon.
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As a firm believer that streaming movies should all strictly be 90-100 minute thrillers with a solid cast, this hit the spot. Does it carry on a bit too long? Yes. Does it get carried away with how ridiculously over the top the premise keeps getting? Also yes. But if you liked Phone Booth or any of the Liam Neeson thrillers this guy directed, you will be more than happy with the excitingly stupid trip through the airport (and beyond). M
It was a seemingly plausible premise until a moment involving “Last Christmas” and WHAM!, did shit then escalate to a completely insane level that I laughed at but also found myself cheering along. If you wanted to pick apart how easy it was to for Egerton to navigate the airport, the bad guys to avoid cameras and/or security and how insane it was that murders are committed in broad daylight in the MIDDLE OF AN AIRPORT and nothing comes of it, you easily could. But with a streaming movie, I’m more than happy to go along for the ride. Criminally wasted use of Logan Marshall Green and the film could’ve used a bit more Christmas, but overall solid Netflix thrills. More like this please.
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When making a legacy movie, you need to decide on what it is. Is it a sequel, remake, reboot, or an entirely new story in the same universe. Gladiator II says yes to all of the above.
The film is at its best when we get to revisit the world we miss, Rome and its colosseum. But did this need to be a direct sequel to accomplish that? No, and its tie-ins to the past are what holds it back the most. The story of Maximus’ son is extremely contrived and results in uninteresting cameos and a large Roman Empire feeling incredibly small, as apparently everyone is now related or banging each other. Connie Nielsen, who is totally solid in the original, must have felt the forced nature of her role and gives a dreadful performance and Paul Mescal never limits up to the big shadow left by Russell Crowe.
A different gladiatorial story told 16 years later would’ve been more interesting, and you can see the pieces they attempted to put together to distinguish this from its predecessor. Casting Denzel: instant cool vibes. Mad twin emperors: I’m intrigued. But that entire side of the story starts off interesting and ends up lost in the shuffle of a chaotic and abrupt final act that can’t decide if it wants to replay all the hits, cast a new direction, or complete the happy ending from Gladiator that we never got.
So was I entertained? Yes, but the enjoyment of some vicious fights was often overshadowed by a weak plot and story frustrations. The bizarre slo-mo of Gladiator is gone but is sadly replaced by some terrible CGI animals and a much more artificial feel. At least I now want to revisit some Assassins Creed games. One of the weaker legacy sequels that has come out this year.
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That was the craziest game of poker that I ever saw.
For as captivatingly mundane as the first hour was, it’s insane the range of emotions I felt throughout the final act. Red Rooms felt like a constant subversion of expectations and was quite the journey from what looked to be like a courtroom procedural during the opening minutes through a wild ending that I never saw coming.
Red Rooms sort of lulls you into a sense of comfort while you hear about this horrific murder case, keeping you at ease with what could easily be just a beautiful woman who wants to delve into this true crime case occurring right before her eyes. Despite this, Kelly-Anne’s cold and calculated behaviors are setting off red flags left and right and you aren’t quite sure of her motivations. The film will have you questioning the morality of true crime media while consistently turning the mirror on the viewer and making you wonder ‘why was I rooting for that particular f’ed up resolution to a scenario?’.
I enjoyed the lack of handholding throughout and the constant state of unease you felt, even in calm moments. Love how it strayed away from a simplistic and concrete “Hollywood” type ending, with enough left for interpretation and requiring an instant deep dive from myself into breakdowns and explanations (something I rarely get the chance to do anymore). Effective, extremely unnerving and earned, Red Rooms leaves a hell of an impression without having to flaunt and shock the audience. Phenomenal final act that left me shook.
Now the real question. 2023 or 2024?
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Watched on Saturday December 7, 2024.
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A significant upgrade over its predecessor and about as appealing of a jump scare fest, studio horror movie can be to me. Here’s the 3 reasons why I found Smile 2 to greatly surpass my expectations.
1.) Naomi Scott: I read the hype that she gave an “Oscar-worthy” performance and basically rolled my eyes at the thought of Princess Jasmine bringing the goods in a Smile movie. But that was a wildly dumb thought, as she carries this film in a disturbing and convincing performance that has you buy into all of the insane smiling antics you will see throughout the movie. Her desperate and maniacal actions are worth
2.) Brings the cool factor: from Scott’s superstar choreography, the dance-like moves of some of the smilers, the intense opening featuring Kyle Gallner and the creativity of some of the jump scares, there is a coolness and uniqueness to this film that supersedes at least some of the predictably of a studio sequel. The smiles and jump scares return, but the overall vibe of this film felt significantly different from the OG.
3.) No hidden trauma reveal: The horror trope I hate the most, by far, is when the monster or entity is revealed to just have repressed trauma that a woman must violently and finally confront in order to survive. It’s easily my biggest gripe with Smile and although the entity here is obviously trauma-based, it’s made very clear that Scott is struggling and we already know the origins of the entity from Smile. Scott’s very public struggles have us rooting even harder to overcome the smile entity and make her so much more relatable than the typical single mother/damsel in distress in these types of films.
There are still a few issues I have and the scares can get somewhat repetitive, but Smile 2 just feels like it’s having fun being so crazy and I’m on board for an even bigger third installment.
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It’s rare to see this sort of tone in a war movie, but somehow David O. Russell makes this somewhat comedic and somewhat heavy-hitting war film work. I found that this strange tone perfectly fits the film’s 3 stars (or 3 kings) as Clooney, Marky Mark and Ice Cube all seem to get the intended vibe but are still able to deliver some strong moments in an emotional final act. It’s a strange journey as we start with a note up a guys ass and end up rooting for a group of refugees to make it over the border, but it weirdly works. Definitely a dude movie and definitely not a pro-war film
Why do I always end up watching George Clooney movies on a plane?
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I’m a sucker for coming of age stories and I’m shocked how much I enjoyed this despite the lack of Aubrey Plaza. She was the main draw for me and she is really only in the movie for a few minutes, but fortunately Maisy Stella was such a presence that it’s never an issue. Stella is remarkably charming for how irritable she can also be, but I guess that the annoying nature of 18 year olds, even the cool ones. There’s a bit too much focus on exploring sexuality for my old ass, but I’d imagine a younger audience might be able to connect better with that aspect. Still a really nice coming of age story that was surprisingly deep and thoughtful at parts. The whole Chad mystery also had me really wanting to see the reveal of why her younger self needed to avoid him. It’s a bit overly-emotional but I liked how it all wrapped up.
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Watched on Thursday November 21, 2024.
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There were two trailers that really caught my eye this year: Heretic and Trap. Trap proved to be just that, a trap of a trailer resulting in a movie that had nothing beyond the initial intrigue. Fortunately, Heretic has the goods and offers much more to the ride than that captivating trailer.
It really is a movie M Night wishes he could put out these days, a tight and smart script that is intense throughout and has plenty of twists to keep you on the edge of your seat. The trio here does some major heavy lifting, lead of course by a brilliant and disturbing performance from Hugh Grant. We know Hugh as such a lovable guy and you see that part of him, all while he is doing some evil things; such a great casting. The two ladies also delivered and I especially loved Chloe East. I spent the first 30 minutes wondering if Sister Paxton had came to my door in my early 20s if I would’ve converted to Mormonism. She’s that cute. It wasn’t to the final minutes where I realized where I had seen her before, in her criminally underrated performance in The Fabelmans. She knows how to deliver in these types of roles
The beauty of Heretic is that it will make you think. The writing is somehow both pro-religion and anti-religion and will have you questioning your own beliefs throughout. While I don’t think the ending was a the strongest part of the film, great performances, nearly 2 hours of constant uneasiness and a tight, smart script makes this a must watch for the fans of psychological thrillers.
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I’m here to confirm that all the Anora hype is in fact beyond valid and that I’m completely obsessed with Sean Baker’s unconventional coming of age story. I never would’ve guessed that the chick from Scream V would be this good but Mikey Madison is sexy, hilarious and a tough ass woman, delivering a knockout performance which will go down as my favorite work this year. Can’t remember an actress being so appealing and charming in such a flawed and foul-mouthed role.
The beauty of Anora is that it’s not the Cinderella or Pretty Woman story you may be expecting and it’s insane hijinks and situations feel real as a result. The second act was incredible, and the sequence involving the introduction of Toros and co was perfection. Baker blends the comedy and drama flawlessly, leaving my theater laughing out loud during the 2nd act and completed stunned silent at a bold ending.
This is the first insta-5 star I’ve given since 1917 (the film, not the year), and I’ll be pulling extremely hard for Best Picture/Director/Actress. I also cannot stop dropping F bombs tonight. So go watch this movie and if not, tell your boss to go fuck off
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Watched on Tuesday November 12, 2024.
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Watched on Saturday November 2, 2024.
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Terrifier was a shocking surprise and Terrifier 2 was that same shock amplified by 100, but now that we’ve seen it done, this latest attempt of absolute carnage got to a point where even I thought the line may have been crossed. The familiar frantic and horrifying fun of the franchise at times felt gone and it did feel like they were almost forcing the issue with the insane violence. I do understand that this is the third installment and fans (myself included) are here for the gnarly, but despite some all time squirm-inducing kills, I’m left feeling far less for this film than I did for the previous 2. Maybe the novelty has wore off a bit and maybe I even have a limit on what I need to see, but a few of the scenes felt almost too uncomfortable for me to laugh and scream along with.
Terrifier 3 does have moments where it harnesses its roots of silly evil by a clown on a holiday. The scene with Art and Santa at a bar was easily my favorite, with a good mix of humor, grossness and shocking kills. This film also has some of the bad of Terrifier 2, as I also felt the length of this movie, though not quite as much as its predecessor. You can tell someone told Leone to cut this ones bit because there are a few scenes I can guess are missing, but I’m thankful for that. The story and acting remains the weak link, but it’s an acceptable vessel to get to the gore.
Im still in on this franchise but did not enjoy #3 as much as a I hoped I would. Hoping for a little more fun (not slapstick, but good, Terrifier fun) in the next installment and to tone down the darkness just a tad. I did enjoy the Christmas flair to the movie and wouldn’t mind #4 taking on yet another holiday.
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Or House of Card(inal)s, is another tense feature from Edward Berger that captures the feeling of seclusion and the mystery behind the secret tradition of selecting a new pope. Ralph Fiennes crushes it as always and the rest of the star cast delivers in their supporting roles. For 2/3 of this film, I was absorbed in all the political dealings of what is supposed to be the most devout and pure people in the world. However, the third act loses much of its steam and goes out with a whimper that most likely saw a mile away. To prevent this feeling of predictability, the film throws one last twist at us that felt entirely unnecessary and just flat out strange. The atmosphere and political dealings were perfectly captured but I found the ending to be extremely heavy-handed and a let down for what was a great movie until that point. Still a strong recommend but not an awards player
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Pretty solid true crime story that most likely takes plenty of liberties but tells a tight and compelling story of a serial killer who actually appeared on a popular TV show, all while he was on the run.
Anna Kendrick’s directorial is a success, directing an elevated episode of Unsolved Mysteries (I mean this in the best way) that is catered perfectly towards the core Netflix fan base (my wife ate this movie up). Fincher influence is very strong throughout but Kendrick could not help but hammer home an unnecessary feminist message. We are definitely not on the serial killer’s side and don’t think they needed to go overboard to stress how much men suck. (Learning the truer story after the movie, I do understand why people would be skeptical or men and/or law enforcement though; seriously they let this dude out on bail and he killed again!) Anna Kendrick the actress, though, does predictably play a great unconfident girl next door.
Overall it’s worth the watch at barely 90 mins and if you like true crime, I’m sure you will be invested. But if you do in fact like true crime, I’m sure you will pick up on the fact that most of these events are either complete guesses or completely made up.
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Good news: Brad Pitt and George Clooney are still really cool
Bad news: that’s basically the entire movie
After initial appeal of a tense opening and some fun between our two leads when they meet each other, it quickly becomes clear that there isn’t much to the story outside of the synopsis. The perfect movie for streaming as it has major star power, you will tune in and out of it and it probably lost Apple a ton of money. Still it’s amusing enough and I still like watching George and Brad having fun. The story did not live up to their coolness
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Is it possible that the last season of Black Mirror stunk because Netflix is using its better ideas on better movies? Probably not, but this was essentially a hornier and less mature version of the show, and I mean that as a compliment. It’s a bit over the top and the characters can be irritating, but when the shit finally hits the fan, I was pleasantly surprised.
There are so many ways this zany concept could go and I think the end, while overly explained and pretty fucked up, satisfies all the chaos. Very original take on body swaps that will keep you on the edge of your seat (or over the ledge…)
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Watched on Saturday September 28, 2024.
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Well mark another life milestone as I brought my niece to our first movie together. Unlike her older brother, movies don’t appear to be her thing (3 “I gotta go poopy” fake out trips caused me to miss a bit of the movie), but will definitely remember this one for adding her to our little movie club
As for the film, incredibly stunning animation but a story that felt almost emotionally manipulative. It’s probably a bit too harsh for what I’m trying to say, but the story progression and character relationships felt forced and the emotional moments felt obvious and unearned. The story and dialogue never quite catch up to the level of animation and I was personally left a bit underwhelmed by its conclusion. Maybe it was the 3 bathroom breaks or stopping my niece from shoving a M&M up her nose that made me miss some important marks, but it seemed to miss that magic that other studios often exhibit. Go for the animation and maybe a more relaxed viewing experience will have you enjoy this more.
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Watched on Tuesday September 24, 2024.
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A stylish, erotic and disgusting take on the male gaze and how Hollywood can chew you up and spit you out when they are done with you. It’s Black Mirror meets Requiem for a Dream, splattered with the style of the woman who brought us Revenge and wants to take the blood and lust to a whole new level. The message here is very upfront and in your face, whether it’s the literal sucking of life out of the bodies or the insane behavior of Dennis Quaid and the other men. Still, the story is daring throughout, throwing many twists and horrors at the audience every time you think you can see what’s coming. And as for the final act, well it’s easily one of the most batshit culminations I can remember. For better or for worse, The Substance is going to stick with you and will definitely make you feel guilty whenever you think “Damn, Demi Moore still looks amazing, or “wow Margaret Qualley does have an incredible rack”. I didn’t quite realize how much I loved this movie until my wife remarked how giddy I was explaining the play-by-play of this movie that I knew was 100% definitely not her thing. It’s surely not for everyone and the 2nd half may push it way too far for most audiences, but it’s just the type of insanity I like and leaves a massive impact. Coralie Fargeat has now entered must-watch territory on whatever she directs next.
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Despite being a diehard sports fan, I rarely watch sports movies. But with the recent passing of James Earl Jones and Ray Liotta as well, it felt like the right time to finally watch Field of Dreams.
It was a pleasant viewing, despite being a much different story that I had anticipated all these years. For starters, having Costner hear the famous “build it…” quote seemingly out of nowhere in the opening minutes was shocking. We know close to nothing about our character and especially did not expect his wife to agree to his ludicrous idea in such a swift manner. Shes got the supportive spouse of the year award locked up for sure. Ok but this is where we get the baseball action, right? Well there’s some for sure. There is definitely magic for those of us baseball lovers, seeing someone hit fly balls under the big lights and hearing the chirping of the crickets. Ah the romance of baseball. But to my surprise, Costner is off on a side quest now to hunt down James Earl Jones. While all the different requests from the field payoff predictably but nicely in the end, I kinda just wanted to go outside and have a catch with someone the whole time. A breezy and summery watch that has just enough heart and inspiration to make it a worthwhile watch. Just not the sports or dad movie classic I was anticipating.
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A few standout sequences but I’m left feeling close to nothing after a series of events that should’ve left me scarred. It’s surprisingly and pleasantly apolitical, but the lack of background information leads to some apathetic viewing. All the portrayal of journalists as essential heroes was perhaps well-intentioned but definitely lead to some personal eye rolls. There are scenes of pure terror, if you can get around the bizarre song choices. The story is just never there, so when we get to what is supposed to be a tension-filled climax, I was able to appreciate the events but not care for what was occurring. Who am I rooting for and why do I care? 2 questions that are never answered and give off a vibe of self-importance to the entire film. Worth watching but lacks any sort of compelling narrative.
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A significant upgrade from Caveat, it’s clear that Damian McCarthy can set the scene and creep the hell out, but the story and writing never matches the 10/10 creep factor, leading to a unique experience that feels stretched out. There are 2-3 sequences involving a potential home invasion that are probably the most tense and chilling moments I’ve seen this year, but every moment at the house following this feels forced and contrived, with big reveals failing to land as hard as they should have. The ending didn’t do it for me and the suggestion of more “oddities” gave me Conjuring Universe vibes (not a positive). If you are looking for a more to creep you out, this will definitely do that, but a tighter script is still needed for McCarthy to fully thrive
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Or BeetleDeuce, is an amusing return to the world of Beetlejuice that kept me entertained despite many different storylines that felt thrown together to create a film of feature length. Michael Keaton of course, is the show here and he is as charming as ever as the title character. Beetlegeuse remains one of the few characters in cinema history I still can’t believe is played by the actor who plays them. When he is on screen, there is plenty of magic, but sidestories involving Willem Dafoe, B’s ex wife and Catherine Ohara just sorta existing, take away from what should have been the clear main storyline, Jenna Ortega and her mom. Ortega playing her usual angsty self is fine but there is at least some intrigue and purpose as she develops a crush, all while doubting her mother’s ability to see the dead. This plot line, like all the others in this film, is resolved so abruptly and easily, the journey does feel incredibly unnecessary. But if you wanted to jump back into the world of Burton and Beetlejuice, it’s enjoyable enough, with a few standout sequences including a great rendition of MacArthur Park. It’s charming but forgettable, and doesn’t hold up to some of the other legacy sequels and reboots we’ve had this year. Justin Theroux was great though
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Watched on Thursday September 5, 2024.
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This falls under the M Night that can be incredibly frustrating. Awesome trailer, great premise, and a movie that never comes close to living up to its premise. There were so many fun and clever ways this could have gone and it consistently takes weird and unbelievable turns throughout the concert (and becomes even zanier as we leave the concert). I can forgive the actions of an audience of young teens in the presence of their idol, but I can’t forgive many of the actions made by almost every one of the adults in the film. Would’ve been far more convincing to play this straight as a dark and twisted thriller, but it often either feels too lighthearted or just unconvincingly silly. Still I remained interested throughout the entire concert and was along for the ride as things ratcheted up, but the final showdown was a massive letdown and required a much bigger moment than what went down. A+ dad stuff from Shyamalan but the rest leaves a lot to be desired
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That is not the girl I remember from Reacher…
I’ve seen a lot of talk about how it’s best to go into this film blind and I’m here to second that. Even the film’s mini synopsis sets an expectation that may alter the way you experience the film. Regardless though, you are in for a wild and jumbled ride, with 6 sections told out of order to keep you both behind and ahead of the story at different points, but still needing each section to unfold to fill in the picture. This leads to a very unique and fun viewing experience, as you try to connect Sections 1 and 3 in your head many minutes before you are shown Section 2 etc. As you begin to learn new details from either before or after what you’ve seen, your theories to the middle will drastically change and it’s cool to see it all unfold in such a crazy way.
Willa Fitzgerald was one electric lady in the film and she really impressed me, showing a side I definitely did not expect from her. The first 5 parts finally coming together was an awesome moment and the mystery and unsettling nature kept me captivated throughout. When you finally see it all wrapping up in Part 6, you do begin to realize that this is a much simpler story than its sequencing made it seem and it ends a little too chaotic for my liking. But from where we started til then, it may have had to go down that way. I wasn’t a fan of the epilogue as it just seemed like an unnecessary tack on that didn’t further enhance anything.
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Watched on Tuesday August 27, 2024.
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If you were pumped about Fede Alvarez directing this film because you liked his work with Don’t Breathe, well like myself, you are in for a treat, because this is basically Don’t Breathe in the Alien universe and I mean that in the best way.
I’m sure there is some bias in that this is my theater debut for an Alien franchise movie, but man was I gripped into my seat. Following the typical franchise slow burn to set the tone, we get relentless tension and plenty of acid blood and shocking moments. Fede does not play around. Just enough fan service to keep the Alienheads happy, but it never feels forced and is an important part of the story.
The new cast offers a fresh feeling to the franchise, finally dealing with a younger group of core cast, which comes with some annoyances but also provides more thrills. The standout is David Jonsson, joining the long list of awesome synthetics in the franchise. It’s early, but I think he may be the best one yet. The constant struggle with his directive vs the saving of his friends makes for thought-provoking thrills and his core human elements make him easy to root for. Cailee Spaeny has some tough shoes to fill but holds her own as a clear Sigourney v2 that kicked plenty of ass.
My only really complaint is that it could’ve had even more gore. Horror/thriller fans will probably love this turn in the series, even if it does get just a tad weird towards the end. Crazy that 2 weeks ago I was barely an Alien fan and now I’m hoping Fede can take a swing at an Aliens sequel. The franchise is back, at least for now, and hopefully it keeps on its horror roots.
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Maybe I was a little too unkind to Alien Covenant, because that was a significant upgrade over this. Even watching the much hyped “special edition”, this was a chore to get through. 0 tension and a bunch of insufferable characters that speak like they are in the Mad Max universe. Outside of Charles Dutton, Charles Dance and of course, Sigourney, I’m not really sure what was going on here. The effects for the alien was a hideous decision and there was 0 need for this movie to be so long. Maybe I’d prefer the original cut of this forgettable mess?? But outside of an interesting concept and a few action moments, this film has very fairly gotten its hate.
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Pure Hollywood cheese has never felt so good. A remake marketed as a legacy sequel, it follows essentially all the beats of Twister, but does a good job updating to make it feel believably modern.
The twisters and effects themselves weren’t as awesome and cutting edge as I expected, despite obviously looking better than the 30 year old original. Twister features plenty of awesome practical work, despite very outdated tornado computer effects, but the new movie also fails to blow me away with the look of the storm. Maybe I’m just old now and very aware that there is nothing actually there destroying the set, but something about the CGI didn’t quite convince me. There is however, a significant increase in body count, which greatly ups the stakes, even if we doubt anything is going to happen to our leading duo
As for that duo, they absolutely rocked. Maybe I’m just a sucker for Daisy Edgar Jones, the ultimate girl next door, or maybe I just can’t help but marvel at how much of the man Glen Powell is, but I was totally hooked on their will they/wont they scenarios, all with storms in the background. I wasn’t really sold on Powell until now, but I don’t think there has ever been a man who made me question if I’ve been doing it so wrong for so long, and that I need to now buy a cowboy hat and large belt buckle. He was the epitome of cool and we really need to see more from both of these budding stars in these big movies. The rest of the chasers are just as fun as the original group, and I was left wishing they were featured even more. Also the best I’ve seen Anthony Ramos to this point.
Really fun time at the movies featuring hot people and natural disasters. We need to get back to this formula because I’m in for Twist3rs in less than 30 years. So glad they didn’t contrive any ways to tie this into the original, and just let it be a modern retelling with minimal fan service. Hard to be disappointed in this if you like classic Hollywood fun
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Coming off the high of watching Alien, Aliens, and Prometheus, this was a swift kick in the nuts and it’s not shocking that the franchise was considered “dead” after this installment.
Uninteresting characters, poor pacing, messy CGI aliens and a twist anyone could’ve seen a mile away, i was struggling to stay invested after being locked in through the first 3 films in my franchise watch. The Alien franchise to this point tends to be a slow burn, and it’s no different here, except you will not care for any of the characters and there is very little underlying sense of dread. It may have been the very CGI vibe this movie has compared to its predecessor, Prometheus, or the CGI aliens completely making me lose my suspension of disbelief. The entire film just loses the magic touch and feels extremely contrived to continue the story of Prometheus and Michael Fassbender, which did not need to be expanded upon.
I’m still very much into the lore and world of Alien but going to hold out until Thursday’s release of Romulus, before rejoining the franchise for Alien3. That film surely can’t disappoint me as much as this, right?
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I can for sure see why people were disappointed coming out of the theaters, but I’m here to say that those people were wrong. It’s fair to assume that after 4 Alien movies (2 more if you count AvP), you are going to get aliens murdering people in space; that’s what this franchise does. But I find it awesome that Prometheus manages to take a whole different approach with a slow, introspective sci-fi take on man, our origins, and of course, our xenomorph’s origins.
If you came for alien carnage, you will be undoubtedly disappointed, but despite the fact that this is now only the third film in the franchise I’ve seen (and 2nd 1st watch this week), I’m now fully invested in the lore and the craziness that is this franchise. Completely wild to me that I’ve watched 3 entries to a franchise and none of them remotely resemble each other in vibe and tone. There are definitely some issues, as Charlize Theron feels completely wasted, might’ve used a bit more action, and a few scenes feel abrupt or missing a minute, but otherwise, this is shockingly solid sci-fi. This feels like an awesome precursor to what is likely going to be an intense, tension-filled nightmare with Romulus so I’m almost tempted to pause the franchise right here. But legit run may have already made me an Alien believer and it’s quickly rising up my franchise rankings. On to Covenant, later tonight
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Even with the expectation that this was gonna be odd, I was not prepared for how…cuckoo this film would be. Credit to the film, it plays it 99% straight, despite an easy to be laughed at premise, and its uneasy tone is clearly the standout here. Play it for laughs and I’d be rolling my eyes and counting down the seconds, but despite the twists and turns this one takes, I was in it from the opening minutes. Completely entertaining and has enough tense moments to make you forget that you have no idea what is going on with the plot. I rolled my eyes reading reviews saying they were still confused after two viewings, and I’m here now to apologize for my eyes. At no part during the final act did I have more than a 50% understanding of what was going on or why certain characters were acting such a way, but I remained involved enough to enjoy the film, despite it severely losing its way once everything is revealed. Really just for the horror peeps who can buy into any plot if it’s handled well, because a lot of people are not gonna be able to grasp the birdshit stuff that goes on. Will take this 9/10 times over cliched, studio horror.
Dan Stevens is a complete character in this and I love it. More of him please
Spoilers/ rare beef with Alamo Drafthouse
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So just before the movie starts, Alamo runs a message from Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens to remind people not to talk during the movie. It’s silly and pretty standard fare for Alamo but then Hunter ends it with something along the lines on “don’t talk or the big cuckoo lady will come get you”, to which I thought, “damn there better not actually be some sort of cuckoo lady in this movie”. While it’s not much of an actual spoiler, probably best to play those kinda message for a re-release, or after the film. I personally prefer 0 intimations of what may occur, regardless of how small.
Alien and Aliens on back-to-back nights so I can finally answer the question, which is better? To no surprise, I’m sticking firmly in the ALIEN camp here. I’ve always heard if you prefer horror, you will like the original, if you like action/thrillers, the sequel is for you. This is spot on, as a rewatch of #1 still had me tense as hell for a majority of the movie, while a first time watch of #2 had me cheering and entertained, but was far less threatening or dark.
Aliens is way more of your typical Hollywood blockbuster (this is James Cameron after all) and we get bigger action, way more xenomorphs, and an annoying kid to really up the stakes. It actually took me a while to get adjusted to this sequel as tonally it’s quite a jarring change when watching them so close together. Fortunately by the time things finally ramp up, you are on board for a real fun ride.
Where Alien has a much better setup, tone and isolating dread, I was still underwhelmed by the actual encounters with the xenomorph, post chest-burst. This is definitely not the problem with Aliens as you get many cool showdowns between multiple creatures and our over-the-top Marines. Bill Paxton is legit out of his mind but it weirdly works. Combine the first half of 1 with 2nd half of 2, you have exactly my kind of movie, or at least until that final, final showdown between Ripley and the alien. I’m not sure if people hated it then or now, but it’s absurdly ridiculous, and not in a good way.
Definitely incredibly influential and I’m shocked how into this franchise I am right now. Other than a few moments of aged effects, it’s incredible how good these 2 movies still look. May have to try Alien3, although I’ve heard nothing good. Trying to hunt down a directors cut, if anyone knows how to hunt down???
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Watched on Tuesday August 6, 2024.
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As someone who only sorta dug X and Pearl, it’s pretty shocking how much of a drop off Maxxxine was, even with low standard. Usually with Ti West, he can at least set the tone and notch up the suspense, even if it’s bound to get weird in the end. Well with Maxxxine, we really get nothing. Super thin plot, uninteresting mystery, poor acting and really dumb reveal. Somehow a much more notable cast lead to pure nonsense acting and I could not wait for this one to end. Hard to be so disappointed by a director I’m only lukewarm on, but this stunk. Glad I made this the one in the trilogy I didn’t see in theaters
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Watched on Thursday August 1, 2024.
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Went in worried about this being too cringey and fan service overload and I was pleasantly surprised. I’m not a MCU fan, so this not really being a movie that has an effect on the universe doesn’t impact me at all. I view this instead as Deadpool 3 told in the style of the normal MCU plot points. Also was not the constant barrage of cameos I expected, and despite not having seen most of the movies the cameos reflected, I found them useful and satisfying, basically what Multiverse of Madness wishes it was. Much like the first two installments, Deadpool’s “edginess” starts to become grating and the needle drops were mostly annoying, but I’m not gonna sit here and deny that Like a Prayer didn’t absolutely bump.
Does this save the MCU, probably not. But if we are going to be subjected to constant multiverse sagas, this sort of fun and effective key jangling is the way to go. Don’t know if it’s terribly memorable, but it’s far more effective than most recent superhero fare.
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Super cute little film that will have you smiling throughout. June Squibb and Richard Roundtree are a dynamic duo that deliver plenty of laughs but most importantly, a lot of heart. My grandparents fell for a similar scam a few years ago so the initial premise always had me hooked, but I was not prepared for just how charming these old folks would be. Lagged in parts and wasn’t as silly as I had prepared for, but completely nails the sadness and isolation surrounding growing older while also having fun with it all. It would be easy to just make fun of the elderly, but every joke feels made with appreciation and will make you want to hug your grandma after. Very sweet
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Seeing this yesterday, it at least allowed some of the hype train to die down and set the proper expectations. Still, I was about as excited for a movie featuring Nic Cage (my least favorite actor) as I could be.
Obviously it’s not the “scariest movie of the decade” or anything close to it. But it is pretty damn creepy. I like my horror pitch black and the tone in Longlegs is for the most part A+. The film is broken down into 3 parts, and the first was easily my favorite. It’s an intentional familiarity to the 90s serial killer movies that had me hooked but there’s a lingering dread that hangs over everything that makes you feel like this is not going where you anticipate.
And in parts 2 and 3, we learn things are way more sinister and bizarre than anticipated, and it’s a weirdness that I struggled with. Nicolas Cage does enough to not do his usual schtick that I sometimes felt he was not Nic Cage pretending to be a serial killer. All the weird buildup feels like it needed a much stronger payoff, as details are thrown at us rapidly and the looming threat of the mysterious Longlegs is basically forgotten. Longlegs is at its best when Maika Monroe is trying to solve the mystery and we have a terrible feeling double L is about to stop by. However, the ending doesn’t provide a satisfying conclusion to the Monroe/Longlegs showdown and the attempt to subvert expectations was meh. Still loved the tone and dread and would prefer more horror/thrillers took this route.
]]>- Anora
- Dune: Part Two
- Red Rooms
- The Substance
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
- Alien: Romulus
- Challengers
- Heretic
- The Fall Guy
- Strange Darling
...plus 41 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- A Christmas Story
- Elf
- Home Alone
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
- Jingle All the Way
- Joyeux Noel
- Spirited
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
- Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
- 8-Bit Christmas
...plus 28 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Dune
- House of Gucci
- The Mitchells vs. the Machines
- A Quiet Place Part II
- King Richard
- The Mauritanian
- The Last Duel
- Licorice Pizza
- CODA
- Nomadland
...plus 71 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Sound of Metal
- Everything Everywhere All at Once
- The Batman
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Soul
- Top Gun: Maverick
- Tenet
- Palm Springs
- TÁR
- Licorice Pizza
...plus 45 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Gravity
- Ocean's Eleven
- O Brother, Where Art Thou?
- The Perfect Storm
- Up in the Air
- Three Kings
- The Descendants
- From Dusk Till Dawn
- Catch-22
- Ocean's Thirteen
...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Ex Machina
- The Disaster Artist
- The Zone of Interest
- Hereditary
- Eighth Grade
- Under the Silver Lake
- Good Time
- mid90s
- Uncut Gems
- The Lobster
...plus 44 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Anora
- Parasite
- Triangle of Sadness
- Palm Springs
- Apollo 11
- Ingrid Goes West
- Anatomy of a Fall
- The Lodge
- The Worst Person in the World
- Longlegs
...plus 11 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Movies that are widely considered classics that I find overrated. There are far worse films than most of these, but I struggle to find why there is such a mass appeal and hype around all these titles
- Donnie Darko
- The Princess Bride
- Dirty Dancing
- Caddyshack
- Breakfast at Tiffany's
- Some Like It Hot
- Good Will Hunting
- The Babadook
- Us
- The Big Lebowski
...plus 42 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Big Fish
- Edward Scissorhands
- Batman Returns
- Beetlejuice
- Batman
- Dumbo
- Alice in Wonderland
- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
- Ed Wood
- Sleepy Hollow
...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Mad Max: Fury Road
- The Hateful Eight
- The Invitation
- The Big Short
- Steve Jobs
- The Lobster
- Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives
- Spotlight
- The Witch
- Southpaw
...plus 38 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- The Disaster Artist
- It
- mother!
- The Big Sick
- Dunkirk
- Good Time
- The Shape of Water
- Brawl in Cell Block 99
- Baby Driver
- Get Out
...plus 48 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Django Unchained
- Moonrise Kingdom
- Silver Linings Playbook
- Argo
- Zero Dark Thirty
- Frances Ha
- Somm
- Wreck-It Ralph
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- Ted
...plus 34 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Prisoners
- The Prestige
- The Fountain
- X2
- The Greatest Showman
- Bad Education
- Deadpool & Wolverine
- X-Men
- X-Men: Days of Future Past
- X-Men: The Last Stand
...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Nightcrawler
- Prisoners
- Wildlife
- Southpaw
- Nocturnal Animals
- Enemy
- Zodiac
- Life
- Guy Ritchie's The Covenant
- End of Watch
...plus 6 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>My personal rankings of movies that came out in 2010
- Inception
- Black Swan
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
- Blue Valentine
- Shutter Island
- The Social Network
- Incendies
- The Other Guys
- The Shrine
- Insidious
...plus 32 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Watching most of the MCU for the first time. Here are my thoughts:
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Loki
- Avengers: Endgame
- Captain America: Civil War
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Thor: Ragnarok
- The Avengers
- Captain America: The First Avenger
...plus 28 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- The Menu
- Cha Cha Real Smooth
- Glass Onion
- Babylon
- All Quiet on the Western Front
- The Whale
- Top Gun: Maverick
- Triangle of Sadness
- The Northman
- Hustle
...plus 62 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Oppenheimer
- The Zone of Interest
- Past Lives
- May December
- Air
- John Wick: Chapter 4
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- The Killer
- Poor Things
- The Holdovers
...plus 57 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Ranking all the Pixar movies I've seen. The top 5 are incredibly elite. Probably will need to rewatch Toy Story 2 and A Bugs Life as I was 8,9 when i saw them in theaters
- Up
- WALL·E
- Toy Story
- Coco
- The Incredibles
- Incredibles 2
- Monsters, Inc.
- Toy Story 3
- Soul
- Monsters University
...plus 12 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Inception
- Interstellar
- Oppenheimer
- The Prestige
- Dunkirk
- Tenet
- Memento
- The Dark Knight
- The Dark Knight Rises
- Insomnia
...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Rankings the works one of my favorite actresses in the game. This list should blow up soon as she is destined to take over the acting world.
- The Menu
- Split
- The Queen's Gambit
- The Witch
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
- The Northman
- Thoroughbreds
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie
- Last Night in Soho
- Emma.
...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- La La Land
- Remember the Titans
- Crazy, Stupid, Love.
- Blue Valentine
- The Big Short
- The Notebook
- The Fall Guy
- The Place Beyond the Pines
- Blade Runner 2049
- Fracture
...plus 6 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Oppenheimer
- A Quiet Place Part II
- Edge of Tomorrow
- A Quiet Place
- Looper
- Sicario
- The Fall Guy
- Mary Poppins Returns
- The Devil Wears Prada
- The Adjustment Bureau
...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>2016 films ranked by my preference
- La La Land
- Fences
- Arrival
- 10 Cloverfield Lane
- Split
- Deadpool
- Nocturnal Animals
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- Under the Shadow
- Don't Breathe
...plus 42 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Likely to be controversial
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- The Godfather
- The Sound of Music
- American Beauty
- The Apartment
- Schindler's List
- The Departed
- Argo
- Oppenheimer
- Slumdog Millionaire
...plus 31 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Ranking the films I’ve seen that came out in 2008 (Sorry Dark Knight fanboys)
- The Wrestler
- Step Brothers
- WALL·E
- Slumdog Millionaire
- Martyrs
- Gran Torino
- The Strangers
- Taken
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall
- Vicky Cristina Barcelona
...plus 30 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- The Wolf of Wall Street
- Her
- Prisoners
- The Double
- Gravity
- 12 Years a Slave
- About Time
- The Spectacular Now
- Enemy
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
...plus 51 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>My personal ratings for the year 2006
- Apocalypto
- The Departed
- The Lives of Others
- The Prestige
- Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
- Children of Men
- 300
- Pan's Labyrinth
- Babel
- Dreamgirls
...plus 27 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- Oldboy
- Dogtooth
- Martyrs
- City of God
- Parasite
- Train to Busan
- Incendies
- The Wailing
- The Lives of Others
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
...plus 9 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- The 40 Year Old Virgin
- V for Vendetta
- King Kong
- The Devil's Rejects
- Crash
- Joyeux Noel
- Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
- War of the Worlds
- Sin City
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
...plus 29 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- 1917
- Marriage Story
- Parasite
- Joker
- Uncut Gems
- Little Women
- Good Boys
- Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
- Ford v Ferrari
- It Chapter Two
...plus 64 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- La La Land
- Crazy, Stupid, Love.
- Zombieland
- Superbad
- Maniac
- The Favourite
- Poor Things
- Easy A
- The Curse
- Zombieland: Double Tap
...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Not including Spider-Man 2, 3
- American Psycho
- Platoon
- Spider-Man
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Poor Things
- The Northman
- The Florida Project
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- What Happened to Monday
- Finding Nemo
...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Ranking the movies of one of my favorite actors, Denzel Washington. Remember the Titans will always hold a special place for me. Need to rewatch Inside Man and American Gangster and definitely have a few others than finally need to be watched: Philadelphia, Malcolm X, Hurricane, Flight etc...
- Remember the Titans
- Fences
- Training Day
- Man on Fire
- The Equalizer
- John Q
- Antwone Fisher
- The Tragedy of Macbeth
- Inside Man
- Fallen
...plus 14 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- Big Fish
- The Room
- Oldboy
- Kill Bill: Vol. 1
- Old School
- Elf
- Mystic River
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
- Identity
...plus 35 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Still got a bunch to catch up on
]]>- The Blair Witch Project
- American Beauty
- Eyes Wide Shut
- The Green Mile
- The Talented Mr. Ripley
- Being John Malkovich
- The Matrix
- The Mummy
- Big Daddy
- Office Space
...plus 24 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Ranking my favorite movies of 2018
- A Star Is Born
- Mission: Impossible – Fallout
- Eighth Grade
- mid90s
- Hereditary
- Under the Silver Lake
- Dragged Across Concrete
- Ready Player One
- A Quiet Place
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
...plus 67 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
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