cjm1d Reviews

There Will Be Blood (2007)

I can see why people like it

[5/10 · 13 August 2022]

I thought the acting was top tier, the story was great for the first hour, but seemed absolutely pointless in the second half. The point was to focus more on family relationships and deterioration, but didn't do much for me. I would have definitely enjoyed it more if they kept the momentum of the first half.

Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)

Haven't read the book

[6/10 · 13 August 2022]

I want to read the book but got the chance to watch this in theaters. I enjoyed it and I liked the story. There were a few things slightly out of place, like the main character wearing a good amount of makeup even though she lives in a swamp. The best performances were the husband and wife that ran the shop, I thought they did a fantastic job. The ending was pretty abrupt, and was condensed into a 2 minute sequence of them growing old together, where I feel like that could have been 5 or more minutes to convey more emotion.

Thirteen Lives (2022)

Insane story

[6/10 · 13 August 2022]

I really can't believe this actually happened, every element of this story seems completely made up which makes the true story so much more scary. Great camera work and pretty good acting. I thought the story was very well paced and skipped the repetitive scenes which helped a lot. My one complaint would be that even though the kids are the center of the story, the divers seemed to have all the attention. They are heroes don't get me wrong, but I found it hard to sympathize with the kids or their families because of how much the movie focused on the divers.

Bottle Rocket (1996)

Fun watch

[6/10 · 13 August 2022]

I wasn't ever a fan of Rushmore by Wes Anderson, but I really enjoyed this movie in relation to his other early films. This was better than his bottle rocket short film, which came off more confusing, the film did a good job of laying out characters. I could have done without the romance at the motel but other than that it was great.

Get Out (I) (2017)

Interesting story

[6/10 · 13 August 2022]

I thought this concept was pretty original, I really like the acting and directing style. Some pretty suspenseful moments that were well done. The only reason I rated lower was because I felt like this film could have benefitted from being longer and adding a deeper storyline.

Don't Look Up (2021)

One of the worst movies I've seen

[3/10 · 13 August 2022]

I generally like most movies, especially satire, I think it's a great genre that can be done well a lot of the time. This movie was horrible. Terrible performances from all the fantastic actors, with an even worse script and boring camera work. This was supposed to be a criticism on politics in the us, but was dumbed down to the blue group saying "look up, there's a meteor", and the red group saying "dont look up, there's no meteor". I get how this whole concept could be applied to something like Covid, but this was done so stupidly, it seems like a movie you would show a 4th grade class to teach about divide in politics. I have no clue why so many people liked this movie, this was an incredibly bad movie.

The Fifth Element (1997)

Crazy

[5/10 · 13 August 2022]

I've seen this a few times. I think the acting is great, with a crazy and fun story. I really like that it can appeal to many audiences, and seems to have a timeless futuristic feel, reminding me of the first blade runner. The movie altogether is a bit corny and definitely seems childish at times, but for the most part I enjoy it.

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Fun, but not great

[5/10 · 13 August 2022]

Although I enjoyed most of this movie, it fell apart about halfway through, and the story was pretty drawn out and sometimes pointless. I know this is a classic but it wasn't anything special in my eyes.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Fun satire

[7/10 · 13 August 2022]

This was a pretty fun watch, a captivating and suspenseful story of nuclear war. I thought the acting, script and camera work free fantastic. My only complaint would be that some scenes seemed drawn out and repetitive, but for the most part this movie was great.

Time Lapse (2014)

Great concept

[5/10 · 20 July 2022]

I was expecting a memento-type film, but got something more like primer. I enjoyed it but it was obviously low budget with some pretty bad scripting. I thought the girl and the painter did well in terms of acting, even though every characters lines seemed very college-film-project level. I would love to see this concept redone with a larger budget and different actors.

Titane (2021)

Interesting for sure

[3/10 · 19 July 2022]

I was a huge fan of Raw, another film from this director. This was too chaotic for me. I understood the story, and thought the acting was fantastic. However there was so many unnecessary scenes in this, and I thought the story was told horribly. I get the appeal because this is a very symbolic movie, but it was too weird for me to enjoy.

Room (I) (2015)

Good, but not great

[5/10 · 19 July 2022]

I liked this movie, I thought it was a great idea to focus on the adaptation to surroundings after being released from capture. Although the acting was great, I though the way the characters spoke was pretty annoying. I'm not usually turned away by things like that, but the constant whining and yelling got old very fast. Despite that one issue, I thought the film was well crafted.

A Ghost Story (2017)

A 90 minute short film

[7/10 · 18 July 2022]

I absolutely loved this. This is not a movie, it is an exploration. I related it to the film enter the void, but without the acid trip. I expected a horror movie but got a devastating story of purpose in the universe. I thought each scene was perfectly crafted. There was a scene that lasts over 5 minutes of someone eating pie. While in any other circumstance it would make me walk out on the movie, a ghost story made it work. This film really made me understand the emotions of the characters because it puts you in those uncomfortably long scenes that almost seem like you aren't supposed to be watching them. There were a few parts of the film that were out of place, and I think I would have liked it better if it was a completely dialogue free movie, but the director chose to add a few lines and a monologue which took some of the drama out of it for me. I don't think everyone will like this, most people probably would not, but I was really able to find meaning in the story.

Hot Fuzz (2007)

Visual comedy

[5/10 · 16 July 2022]

I love edgar wright and his portrayal of visual comedy as opposed to verbal comedy. I found the storyline of hot fuzz to be less enjoyable than his other movies like baby driver and shaun of the dead. Although I enjoyed watching this movie and thought it was funny, I would probably not watch again just because of the storyline, it didn't really hook me.

The Bob's Burgers Movie (2022)

Fast Paced

[4/10 · 15 July 2022]

The show is much better in my opinion. The plot and storyline could have been a lot more thought out. All the jokes were very fast paced, and I think they did that on purpose to add a comedic effect. However I think it only caused the jokes to not land because of how quickly they changed scenes after something funny. I think bobs burgers ran out of good ideas very early in the show, and this is a product of that.

Lost in Translation (2003)

Slow for a reason

[6/10 · 14 July 2022]

I'm not a huge romance fan, but this was great. I really felt for the characters and the directing really made a point of their lonely lives. I thought every scene was meaningful and impactful. My one complaint would be that the middle half hour could have been completely removed and the movie would have been just as good if not better. Other than that I thought it was very well made and scripted.

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

Norlins Culture

[6/10 · 14 July 2022]

I loved this movie, I am always interested in the music and culture in New Orleans. This movie has always had potential to be great, but does lack when it comes to a solid storyline. There were some random and unnecessary characters and scenes, and I feel the movie would have been better if they were changed or removed. Overall this is one of my favorite pixar movies but it does still have its flaws.

Midnight in Paris (2011)

Overrated

[5/10 · 14 July 2022]

I thought this had some cool concepts. I think these concepts should be explored more in movies. I also thought the acting and characters were great. However, I saw so many pointless parts in the story, a lot of the storyline seemed out of place and unrelated. I may understand it more on a rewatch but it didn't land well on the first watch.

Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Too weird

[3/10 · 14 July 2022]

I found everything to be so out of place and random. Every line was corny, and I didn't find the story enjoyable. This may have been more fun to watch with friends but really didn't land well in my opinion.

Beetlejuice (1988)

Classic, but not perfect

[6/10 · 14 July 2022]

A must watch for anyone who hasn't seen it. This is just such a crazy and fun movie it's hard to dislike it. Great acting, amazing camera work, cool story. I thought it was good, but it's not my favorite because it does have its dry moments and it seems out of place at times. I think Tim Burton could have ran with the idea a little more than he did, there could definitely have been some improvements, but overall a good movie.

Lady Bird (2017)

Not for me

[5/10 · 14 July 2022]

I thought this movie was very well made, with some great performances, a really thought out script, and some pretty funny moments. However, I am not personally a fan of the coming of age genre. I can appreciate all the great elements of this movie but it's just not for me.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Weird in a good way

[6/10 · 14 July 2022]

I loved Depps performance in this, he makes the perfect willy wonka. I thought the movie had some flaws, and lacked what the original exceeded in. Some scenes were out of place and threw off the vibe, and the storytelling was not great. Other than that, this was a good movie and I would recommend giving it a shot!

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Perfect suspense

[6/10 · 13 July 2022]

I have never seen a movie with such perfectly portrayed suspense. I thought the cinematography and directing were near perfect. The story was really great, however I have never been a fan of open endings. This film was very imaginative for its time and inspired a ton of similar alien films.

Dune (2021)

Visually great, but that's it

[5/10 · 13 July 2022]

I loved the cinematography in this, the acting as well. I thought it was overly confusing though. I'm aware there are more movies to come and they are based on the books which tell a story hard to make a movie out of. However, I simply did not follow the plot and it seemed out of place most of the time. I especially found the glimpses of the mysterious girl to be far out of place, even if she is important, they were so random and don't amount to anything by the end of the movie. I am waiting patiently for the next movie to come out so I can rewatch together to get a bigger picture.

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Not for me

[5/10 · 13 July 2022]

I liked the idea. I've never been a fan of these types of movies but I did enjoy this. I found it to be good in terms of emotion and acting. I thought it was weak when it came to character development. The guy seemed to be a terrible person in the beginning then magically bloomed in to a wonderful guy about halfway through. It doesn't make a ton of sense to me and I thought a few of the characters could have been portrayed differently. Im aware it was based on the book but I have not read it yet, I may understand the movie more after reading, and will update when I do.