Change Your Image
PennyForMyThoughts
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Fourth of July (2022)
"I'm ashamed... and I think it's too late"
Joe List stars as Jeff, three years sober and potentially on the cusp of fatherhood. Jeff fears that he lacks the potential to be a good parent due to his own dysfunctional childhood. To overcome his anxiety at its source, he plans to confront his family of acerbic Bostonians regarding the perceived shortcomings of his own upbringing while at their annual family lakeside gathering in Maine.
First and foremost, the film is hilarious. The sold out crowd at tonight's world premiere at the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan was laughing from start to finish. Joe List is great, Robert Kelly steals every scene he's in, and Tara Pacheco provided some excellent subtle humor as the neutral observer. Nick Di Paolo and Louis do not disappoint either.
The cowriting of Joe List and Louis CK seemed to shine through in an introspective and cathartic way from both ends of the spectrum of fatherhood. On one side, trepidation regarding what may be, and on the other end, regret for what has been and can never be undone (portrayed phenomenally through the father character by Robert Walsh).
The casting was fantastic from top to bottom. My only small qualm with the film is that the exposition in the first act was a bit heavy handed. Not really distracting though.
See this movie in theatres if you have the opportunity, it was a great experience to be able to laugh with a crowd of strangers again.
The Man from Toronto (2022)
Kinda like Rush Hour, but bad
None of the motivations of any of the characters made any sense, nor did the stakes involved. I guess it's a comedy, but it wasn't funny so it would have been nice if it at least made sense.
Woody Harrelson's titular character started off sort of interesting, but devolved quickly into nonsense.
The action scenes were ok in like a dumb, over-the-top, unrealistic way.
Overall, pretty bad. Would have been better if any of it were actually funny in any way instead of just assuming we'd laugh at Kevin Hart simply existing.
Honest Thief (2020)
Alright but frustratingly unrealistic
Acting was not bad, but this movie was written by someone without even a cursory knowledge of the criminal justice system. One call to a lawyer could have fixed everything.
8-Bit Christmas (2021)
Good story, mediocre acting
As others have said, this is a very apt modern retelling of the basic gist of "A Christmas Story."
The 80's nostalgia was not overplayed (although, the trope feels a little tired at this point).
My only real gripe was that the child actors that take up the majority of the screen time were not great. It felt like kids standing around reading a script, rather than characters I actually believed.
Overall, it was watchable and relatable though. Not a bad modern Christmas movie, and totally worth the time to watch, especially with family.
Red Notice (2021)
Very Fun Movie
Ryan Reynolds and The Rock are two of the most charismatic men in Hollywood and neither of them lose a step working together. Gal Gadot proves, once again, that she is good looking.
The story is that Ryan Reynolds is the world's best (?) art thief, looking to steal Cleopatra's eggs (which I refuse to google whether or not exist). The Rock is an FBI profiler out to catch him, and Gal Gadot is a better (?) art thief who's also in the mix.
This movie was a ton of fun. I honestly had a smile on my face throughout the majority of it. The jokes (mostly from Ryan Reynolds) all landed.
Sure, it's formulaic and not particularly realistic, but it was never supposed to be. This movie harkens back to the great fun action comedies of the 80's and 90's. Big summer blockbuster vibes, just happened to be a November Netflix release.
In my opinion, one of Netflix's best original movies. Not Oscar great, but fun great.
The Harder They Fall (2021)
Got better as it went
Overall, a pretty good movie. The soundtrack was fire and the direction and acting were both pretty solid and tight.
The writing was sloppy. It took a while to figure out what was supposed to be going on with the plot. Some of the humor fell flat due to the awkward dialogue and confusing exposition.
It all came together in the end though and pushed the movie overall from a six to a seven out of ten.
Not as political as some people are trying to make it, just an average western.
Malignant (2021)
Lowest common denominator of horror tropes
Every single cliché horror trope was overplayed, from the cinematography (cheap jump scares); the photography (unnecessarily creepy haunted house setting); to the acting (... bad). Also some very strange music choices.
This rating would have been lower than 4/10 but the story actually got mildly interesting after about an hour and twenty minutes into the film. I watched this on HBO Max, but if I were in a theatre I may have walked out before getting to the "good" part. Hell, I considered leaving my house.
If you make it through the whole thing, you'll realize that it could have been better with different actors, a different director, and a completely revised script. Overall... bad.
Sweet Girl (2021)
Terrible fight scenes
The cinematography was not bad, and Jason Momoa and his daughter did a decent job acting.
All of the fight scenes were absolutely horrible. Whoever was the fight coordinator should never get hired again.
This rating would have been higher if not for the final act. It went from acceptably bad to mindlessly implausible.
I had a thought to turn this off after the first 15 minutes, and I should have listened to that impulse.
Reminiscence (2021)
Great Worldbuilding
The movie is well acted and well paced, with a gritty noir feel that I personally am a big fan of. I think that they did a great job of "show, don't tell" in terms of the way the futuristic Miami was portrayed.
Overall, really well done.
Breach (2020)
Impressively Bad
This is, perhaps, the worst movie I've ever seen.
Every single scene in this movie is bad from top to bottom. Like, every shot within every scene is bad. There is not a 15 second sequence that goes by in this movie that couldn't be torn apart. The writing, the acting, the cinematography, it is all god-awful. I have no idea how this movie got made.
I almost rated this movie a 2/10 instead of a 1/10 because I was actually impressed at how consistently terrible it managed to be, but I realized that if any movie deserves the 1/10; it's this one.
Stowaway (2021)
Kinda Lame
The cinematography and acting were good. The writing and story were both sort of lame.
None of the characters had any backstory whatsoever - why are we supposed to care about them?
The film tried to be very realistic and suspenseful, but I feel like it was actually unrealistic and predictable.
In that sort of situation, how is interpersonal violence not an option on the table for anyone involved? Also the "good science" flies out the window in the final scene.
Overall, meh.
Mortal Kombat (2021)
Great MORTAL KOMBAT Movie
Was this a great movie? No. Was this a good movie? Also, probably, no. Alright... let's be honest, this was a bad movie. But it was a great MORTAL KOMBAT movie.
Full disclosure, I'm a big fan of the Mortal Kombat franchise. I've been playing the video games since the 90's and I am 100% the target demographic for this movie. If you are like me, you will enjoy the movie. If you are not like me, you probably won't (nor should you).
Watching the movie is like you're experiencing a playthrough of a new MK game on story mode. All dialogue just serves as a filler between fight scenes. I love the hard R rating that allows the film to embrace the brutality of the violence that is the signature of the series.
There are a ton of nods throughout the film to insider fans.
Again, in summation: not a good movie. But a GREAT Mortal Kombat movie. Take that for what you will.
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
Kids Movie
If you go in to this movie with the understanding that it was produced for kids/teens you probably won't be disappointed.
The action was fun and the special effects were fine, if not standard nowadays.
There was absolutely no nuance or subtlety to be found throughout and there were several gaping plot holes that need to be overlooked to enjoy the film.
I would estimate that out of everything that happened in the film, 82% of it did not make any sense.
But that's all fine, it's supposed to be a silly monster fight movie. Just don't expect anything more.
Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell (2021)
It's alright
It was kind of cool to see some more of the backstory and get to know the young Christopher Wallace before the fame. There is some interesting footage from when he was on his way up, but nothing really groundbreaking or surprising.
If you are a fan of B.I.G. you'll probably know most of the story already, but it was put together pretty well and from a bit earlier perspective than a lot of the other stories about him.
I Care a Lot (2020)
Wow
The fact that this movie still has a 6+ rating here just proves that Netflix employs a troll army.
2/10 (over 1/10) just for Peter Dinklage's performance.
Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
Powerful
The direction of the film was tight and kept the narrative moving forward, it never felt slow or forced.
The acting was superb from top to bottom. Fred's oratorical scene after being released from prison was some of the most powerful on screen rhetoric since Mel Gibson's "freedom" speech in Braveheart.
The message of the film was extremely poignant in today's climate without feeling like it was over proselytizing. It was a historical dramatization, nothing more and nothing less.
The ending, while it should have been predictable, was nevertheless shocking and disturbing.
Really well done overall, a must watch in my opinion.
The Little Things (2021)
Well done, familiar trope
The acting and cinematography were superb throughout the film.
Some of the dialogue feels a bit trite and cliched, especially in the early acts.
The story really comes together and leaves you wondering by the end.
The early '90s is a great time period to set a serial killer/cop drama piece in. The forensic technology plausibly exists but you don't have to worry about cell phones making everything so predictable and boring from a tracking/surveillance perspective.
Outside the Wire (2021)
Solid Sci Fi/Action
The script left some logical loopholes that need to be overlooked in order to enjoy the film, but overall I thought it was a pretty decent effort.
The acting and cinematography were solid, the CGI was not distracting, and the characters were well drawn and not one dimensional.
The narrative cohesion was better than a lot of other Netflix originals have been lately.
It's not a perfect movie, but it was an enjoyable watch with some decent (if not semi-predictable) twists and turns to keep the viewer engaged. For fans of sci fi/action, it's worth a watch.
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Couldn't make it past 45 minutes
45 minutes in and there is no discernable plot, the 80's setting is entirely over-the-top and adds nothing to the narrative, the characters are way over acted, and the opening sequence was so CGI filled that I felt like I was watching a cartoon. Unwatchable.
The Midnight Sky (2020)
Great Filmmaking
Every scene felt like a great chapter in a well written book. The film succeeded in weaving together multiple characters and perspectives into a cohesive and successful narrative. Kudos to Clooney for directing a great performance out of a child actor with virtually no lines.
This is a story about a man who, only through experiencing the desolation of the human race, comes to realize that he intentionally missed out on the quintessential human experience: love; both interpersonally and fatherly.
Rust Creek (2018)
Horrible writing, Good Acting & Cinematography
The story didn't make any sense and was completely ridiculous, but the acting and cinematography made for an overall watchable flick. Wouldn't necessarily recommend though.
La belva (2020)
Bad at Fighting
Yes this movie is formulaic, but that's not what bothered me. Am I to believe that a 30 year veteran of the special forces is really going to be that bad at fighting? And also to show up unarmed (not even a knife?) to the compound full of criminals where his daughter is being held? And then to basically just get his ass kicked and accomplish nothing?
I didn't think that the acting or cinematography were really that bad, it just would have made more sense if the protagonist was some "average Joe" rather than an elite special forces veteran if we're supposed to believe he would be as bad at fighting as he was.
The ending also bothered me, like oh, it's great that he's prison because now he's finally going to get some group therapy? Doesn't track.
Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
Not bad but not special
This movie is aggressively trying to be impressive.
It's OK. It's not great. The acting is fine. The story is fine. It's not the best movie of the year. It's an alright movie. It's not bad. You may or may not feel emotionally involved by the end.
Either way, it's fine.
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2020)
Not bad
The film was not as side-splittingly hilarious as the first one, but perhaps that's just because the ridiculousness of "everyday Americans" has already been so exposed in all forms of media that it is no longer shocking.
Still a sharp satire with some funny moments, worth a watch.
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (2020)
Sublime
This film perfectly juxtaposes the dire situation that we, as humanity, find ourselves in with a hopeful future. David Attenborough's life is the perfect and poignant vessel for this story.