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jellsworth88
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Barbarian (2022)
Enjoyable for sure! But has it's issues.
I didn't know much about this move going in, just that my wife wanted to go see a movie and heard it was good. First thing I loved, was that it was set in Detroit. Having grown up in Detroit it was a pleasant surprise, with the police interaction being way too accurate for my taste. It definitely has twists and turns. I did not expect the story to go the way it did. So props there as most horror/thrillers are quite predicable for the most part. Acting was fabulous, no complaints there.
My issue with the movie is tied to 1) The ending, and 2) decisions made by the characters.
1) The ending feels very unsatisfying. After all the fighting and terror, all it took to bring down the "monster" was a simple gunshot to the head. And no real follow up on anything (ex. Whose the guy that was trying to call her in the beginning?)
2) Maybe I'm just scared naturally and know Detroit too well for my own good to understand that if there is anything like a door in the basement or anything remotely creepy you DO NOT ENTER! I just kept thinking there is no way a normal/rational human being would go exploring. I would have called the police the second I found the sex dungeon and left it at that. Though I will admit the cops would probably just write it off as a normal "Detroit basement." Also, knowing Detroit, I'm well aware other much safer neighboring towns would have available hotels. She would be able to figure out the "safeness" of where to go from google. Simple. Detroit has a rep, well deserved, and a simple google search would tell you which areas are safe. I'm surprised the Airbnb reviews didn't mention the condition of the neighboorhood, but whatever, I'm probably getting too analytical at this point.
Bottom line, movie is enjoyable if you don't think about it too much.
Under the Banner of Heaven (2022)
I love the show but...
You really need to either be a Mormon or ex Mormon to fully understand the show. Once you understand the culture you'll understand just how accurate it portrays Mormonism is the 80's and the extremist Mormons today. As an ex Mormon, this does trigger some PTSD from having grown up in a similar environment. I will clarify not all Mormons are like this, but unfortunately the extremists exist.
Andrew Garfield is perfect and so are the other actors in the series.
The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
George Lucas' Citizen Kane
Just kidding. This is about as bad as it gets. I only give it a 2 because it can be seen as a comedy if you try hard enough. I really don't know what the plan was here. But man... It's bad. Worth at least a one time watch for the sake of saying you've seen it, but believe all of us when we say how bad this is.
The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
Finally! A horror show that is GOOD.
I have been burned by so many horror shows that either drag out too long (Walking Dead, American Horror Show) or just leave you with a bad taste in your mouth in the end. I know I'm late to the party, but I finally finished the show and I was so satisfied at the end. This show does everything right. It's got scary moments, but not so much in your face that it becomes predictable and you're expecting a scare at every moment. When the scary moments come, it's genuinely unexpected and downright creepy. The team that did the make up and effects deserve a huge thank you for doing an amazing job there. Story-wise I couldn't be happier. Everyone's story has closure and the character arc's are so satisfying. I left the last episode practically cheering at the end for certain characters, and crying for others. You will feel everything in the show. Fear, sadness, laughter, despair, satisfaction, and hope. The moral of the story really hit home and was great. Overall, I loved it, especially after hating nearly every horror show I've watched recently.
The Jazz Singer (1927)
Historically significant, great acting, terrible storyline.
What can I say that hasn't already been said of praise of this movie? Al Jolson is a legend and this is just an example of why. Great singing, the acting is great as well. He portrays his conflict and state of mind so well. And of course the fact this is the first talki (I know it technically isn't, but whatever). I was surprised to find out that the movie is more or less 80-90% silent with a few talking/singing lines that make it the first talki.
My big problem with the movie really isn't the movie itself, but the actually story of the jazz singer. To put the story in simple terms, a Jewish father is upset that his son wants to sing jazz and not Jewish music. Son runs away because his father abuses him. The son becomes successful. His mom is proud of him regardless of what he does, but the father is still acting petulant and doesn't love him because he isn't doing what he does. The son (jazz singer) has a big life and career changing performance in his home town. Father and community pressure him to quit because his father is dying. Even though he is DYING, the father says he wont forgive his son unless he does what he wants him to do. The son relents and does what his father wants. Somehow he didn't lose his career, but I guess these details didn't matter.
Ultimately, the father had conditional love and treated his son like crap for it. The father is an awful individual and if I were there, would have disowned the father. But I will concede that this was a different time, and probably because I'm not Jewish, I don't understand the culture.
Anyway, despite this, you should see it for the historical value. Just don't expect a Citizen Kane.
Uchû Kaisokusen (1961)
WOW!
Wow that was horrible. Thank goodness I saw this with the MST3K commentary, or I'd break down like the cast did. MST3K shows some terrible movies, but this is easily Top 5 on the most horrible of films ever. There is nothing remotely exciting going on, the picture is terrible, the sound is fuzzy, the acting is non-existent, and the dubbing is so...AWFUL!
This movie is hilarious if you view the MST3K version. For your own sanity only watch the MST3K version. Well deserved 1*. If there is a bright side to this, at least Space Chief went on to be in the Kill Bill movies...
Joker (2019)
An absolute masterpiece. Critics are offended by this movie and here's why....
I will start off by saying I had very high hopes for this movie, but was not expecting it to live up to the hype. Neither was I expecting Joaquin Phoenix to even get close to measuring up to Heath Ledger's Dark Knight performance. I will admit I am a huge fanboy of Ledger, so when I say that Phoenix blew me away and gave an equally amazing performance in this film and that this movie is probably the best movie made during this decade, I absolutely mean that.
This movie is more than just an origin story. It's an in depth view of how someone becomes a villain and the factors that lead to it. To start off, yes, Arthur Fleck, aka the Joker, is mentally unstable and suffers a condition that forces him to laugh in situations he shouldn't laugh in. Mix this with his anxiety, he is put in positions that are extremely uncomfortable that he doesn't want to be in. It also doesn't help that his social worker doesn't listen to him and is disgruntled by the fact that the government she works for doesn't value her profession enough to keep it alive. Arthur Fleck is a good person at heart in the beginning and is trying his absolute best to be happy and make people happy. But as the movie goes on, his attempts to do everything in his power are crushed, and ultimately, he hits a breaking point, leading the Joker to become a psychotic murderer.
This above mentioned point is why I think critics and the media are quick to dismiss this movie, because it does not fit the "guns and weapons" are the problem narrative. If you look at any tragedy that happens, what get blamed? The weapon, or ideology in 99% of the cases. The media does this because it advances an agenda that they align themselves with. Heaven forbid the people committed the crime was actually just mentally ill and just looking for validation for their actions. Or better yet, will get recognition and fame from, you guessed it, the media.
Now, where does the Joker fit in to the above mentioned point? Why I loved this movie so much is that the Joker sees validation for his actions. At first, the first murder is shocking, he's scared, and honestly the first murders could be justified as self defense. But as the media portray's the support he receives, he starts to think that what he is doing is ok, and ultimately there are some people that view him as a hero. Why, because the media allowed this happen and society validated it by supporting him.
Aside from this point, the movie itself is phenomenally done. This is hands down the best origin story to have been made. It's brutally honest, it's dark, it's violent, and very uncomfortable at times. Phoenix's performance is the best I've ever seen him do. He deserves the Oscar, and quite honestly this movie deserves best picture. But it probably won't win it because it doesn't 1) Say everyone that is white is a racist or 2) Have a liberal agenda. or 3) Say guns are the reason for mass shootings, 4) Say's "Orange man bad".
Critics are out of touch, and honestly are an invalid profession. Critic is another word for "someone who gets paid to share an opinion." At the time of this review, the movie has a 9.0/10 rating from ~150K users, with a metascore of 58 from less than 100. Listen to the masses instead of the "Elite" who claim to know better than you. This movie is worth the viewing.
United 93 (2006)
In 2019, this movie still chills me to the bone
I've tried to make it a point every Sept 11 to watch this film. I've missed doing this in 2017 & 2018, but I made it a point to watch this in 2019 with my wife. I remember where I was 9/11/2001, and this film does an amazing job capturing those emotions I felt on that day when I was 13 years old. My wife never saw this movie before, and she left crying, but did say it was a very beautiful tribute and extremely well written, and I couldn't agree more.
One thing she pointed out that I never paid attention to was that in the beginning there is no music (she is a musician, go figure lol). In the beginning you start off the movie like a regular day. Nothing out of the ordinary and it's just a normal day. The movie progresses in real time and as it moves along, the confusion, tension, and reality of what is going on slowly builds. Even though we know what will happen, we still can feel the confusion the country felt that day, and the frustration of knowing nothing can be done in the moment, even though everything was tried within their power.
The acting is superb! The terror in the passengers was just spot on. The hijackers were portrayed well. You could sense the utter hatred in the eyes of most of them. I know this is controversial, but I loved the portrayal of an almost sympathetic view of one of the hijackers (pilot). But during the movie, that view is pretty much shattered. No one person stole the show, the passengers that played the brave heroes of United 93 were amazing, every single one of them.
This movie is uncomfortable due to it's nature, but it is an amazing tribute to the brave souls that, even though they were mostly trying to save themselves, in turn potentially saved hundreds or perhaps thousands of lives. If you haven't seen this, please give it a watch and at least judge for yourself. This is an event that should never be forgotten and I hope we never forget the heroes on that day.
Also, I hope that someday we will remember how we were united on September 12. There were no Democrats and Republicans, Black or White, Gay or Straight, Atheist or Christian. We were American and united in peace. I pray we get to this point again as a country instead of giving the Terrorists victory in dividing our country from within.
Kimi no na wa. (2016)
Hands down best anime romance ever made.
I think most reviewers have echoed what I would say already, but I will just say the hype for this movie is definitely justified. I do not cry during movies, especially animated ones. But I found that after the movie ended my wife in I were in tears. Not because it's sad by any means, but because the movie and story itself is just so beautiful.
I'm so glad I impulsively bought this when it was on sale. Give it a watch and see for yourself. You wont regret it.
Pâfekuto burû (1997)
Satoshi Kon's Masterpiece
One of the best anime films I've ever watched. I go back to re-watch this beauty year after year and it never disappoints. If you've watched Black Swan you will definitely see a lot of similarities, which is because this film was an inspiration for it. It illustrates the mental toll of fame and the warning to never trust "friends" who will exploit you for fame. There are multiple twists in the film, lots of honest brutality that does not hold back, and when it all comes together makes a truly satisfying ending.
I would highly recommend giving this classic a view, even if you're not an anime fan. And go check out Satoshi Kon's other works (Paprika, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, etc.). He and Miyazaki are anime legends.
Justice League (2017)
Not as bad as people make it out to be
After putting off watching this movie since it came out I heard reviews that it was just awful a family REALLY wanted to watch it so I gave in and rented it. I think coming in with really low expectations was good because I found myself enjoying the movie for the most part.
The good: Surprisingly, I thought the cast did a really great job. I wasn't sure how I would like Ben Affleck as Batman, but I thought it was great. The Flash was very good as well, gave us some good comedic moments that made some cheesy parts of the film a bit more bearable. Visuals were great.
The bad: Where I understand the bad reviews was the plot. The story seemed very choppy and just didn't flow together very well. I had a hard time trying to wrap my head around what was happening.
Overall, I would say this movie is a 7/10 based on enjoyment factor, but the plot was definitely lacking.
Aladdin (2019)
Better than I expected!
I did what I think we all did and came in with pretty high reservations about Will Smith playing the genie. Funny enough, his performance is actually what I enjoyed the most! Even though Robin William will never be replaced or surpassed, Will Smith did a good job playing the part without trying to overshadow the original performance.
The story overall follows the original animated version. There are a few tweaks, some good some bad which I will cover below, but the songs and story are pretty much the same. But here is my overall breakdown of the good and bad of Aladdin.
The Good:
If you were a fan of the original, you will find this enjoyable at least. The actors do a good job vocally when covering the original songs. As mentioned before, Will Smith puts on quite a fun and enjoyable performance as the genie without trying to overthrow Robin Williams. Aladdin is great as well, mixing both charm and ignorance of higher society. Visually the movie is spot on. Overall, I had a lot of the same feelings I had when I watched the animated version as a kid.
The Bad:
Pretty weak performance by Jafar IMO. I felt his character was lacking in the terror and evil that embodied the animated version. I felt like there was a bit too much overacting. While I thought Jasmine had a great voice, her character was extremely annoying. I also felt (and currently feel) that Disney is going way too far with the "Men are stupid and only women are fit to rule anything." I won't go into a specific part as to avoid spoilers, but there is one completely out of place solo from Jasmine at the near end of the film and a strange shift from the original that I thought was Disney just trying to be appeasing and PC (women rule and men suck essentially). If those specific aspects of the film were removed, it would have been a better experience overall.
Overall, I would definitely recommend and I would say this is the best live action adaptation that has been done recently for Disney. I should expect all Disney films to pander to the PC culture, but I keep hoping someday society will get past this idiotic phase. If you can overlook this, it will be a great film. And finally, another applause to Will Smith's performance with I apologize for criticizing before I saw the film. Enjoy!
Venom (2018)
Why so much hate from the critics??
I loved this movie! Even the people in our theater gave it a standing ovation. Seriously, do not listen to the critics, this movie is great. I thought this performance was one of Tom Hardy's best. Super funny, scary at times, and enjoyable.
Give it a watch. The critics need to get whatever stick is up their butt out and enjoy life.