abegley-19194 Reviews

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

BlacKkKlansman- A new high in political cinema

[8/10 · 12 September 2018]

BlacKkKlansman is a great film. This is the only film this year where I took as much away from it as I did. It really makes you think of the controversial decisions made in society today. The son of famous actor Denzel Washington, John David Washington, is in this film and he gives his star performance. Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) also gives a fine performance as a Jewish cop pretending to be a klan member. This real meat on the bone is at the end when the last ten minutes come and it's footage of the Black Lives Matter group and Presdient Trump explaining some controversial stuff. By the final shot of the film, my mind blew with its powerful symbolism and realistic message. Tis might be my favorite film of the year, it might beat Hereditary and A Quite Place, it may not. The first half is pretty slow however and some odd comedic timing, which are my only real flaws with this movie. I'm gonna give BlacKkKlansman an 8/10.

The Kissing Booth (2018)

Teenagers, adults, everyone deserves better than this.

[1/10 · 8 September 2018]

The Kissing Booth is an agognizing movie. Now look, I get it. Teenagers need movies to relate to, and this is the movies target audience. I had this problem with 13 Reasons Why and To All The Boys I've Loved Before. All of these sources of media all have the same message: it's okay to be a weak, shallow, ignorant and low person. The Kissing Booth does this in a way that's not only insulting to the target audience, but also to the entire audience that spent 90 minutes watching this garbage. The movie all throughout has the main character narrating it. I know it's based on a book, but Jesus it's just unnecessary and falls flat in regard to comedy and trying to relate. Also, the main character is a selfish moron. I know teenagers make dumb decisions but she doesn't ever seem to learn anything throughout her experiences. That's the polar opposite of good story telling. A character is given a character ark and has to overcome it to become a compelling character. That doesn't happen with Joey King's character. She is a complete idiot and does not learn anything that benefits her well-being. She constantly talks about these rules in her friendship with her friend and she breaks nearly half of them. This could be a potential ark for her and her friend. But by the end, BOTH of them break the rules. So you don't feel satisfied with the ending at all. This is the black hole of bad teenage movies and I'm gonna give The Kissing Booth a 1/10. This is most certainly the worst Netflix Original I've seen in a while. And Adam Sandler has made four of them within the past three years.

The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)

Netflix Originals are gonna get better if they keep doing this.

[7/10 · 8 September 2018]

The Fundamentals of Caring is a good film. I've never seen Paul Rudd in a drama before, but he surely did nail this role. His character is a caretaker for children, and he starts caring for a handicapped boy who shares his thoughts about family. I've never seen a Netflix Original movie, excluding Calibre, that I can actually call: "worth your time". Selena Gomez is also in the movie. Although her character is a little aggravating and hard to like, she does fulfill her character arcs and grows from a broken and traumatized person, to a fixed and light-hearted person in the end. This goes for all the characters In the film as well. I also admire how this film is based on a novel, and has no narrator. Films like Ready Player One and The Kissing Booth, have unnecessary narration. The Fundamentals of Caring does not have this though, which makes it more subtle and easier to love. This film is definitely worth the watch and I'm giving it a 7/10.

Calibre (2018)

One of the better Netflix Originals. That isn't saying much...

[6/10 · 8 September 2018]

Calibre is a fine film. Don't get me wrong, this is a good movie. I just wish I liked it more than I really did. The story is fairly simple. Two friends go out hunting in a deserted town to explore. But they accidently commit a crime and have to hide it from the citizens of the small town. This movie takes a lot of notes from the 1972 classic Deliverance. There is even a shootout scene right before a chase scene in both. Calibre has this dark look, which suits it's premise very well. The acting overall is just fine, nothing note-worthy. I will say this as a positive though, it's one of the better Netflix movies in recent memory. It's definitely worth a watch, but nothing worth drilling over and I'm giving Calibre a 6/10.

Brother Bear (2003)

Brother Bear: Overlooked But Still Average

[5/10 · 7 August 2018]

Brother Bear is one of the few overlooked Disney films that doesn't get enough credit. It's definitely not perfect, however it has it's fair moments.

A positive I can say about this movie is the animation and music. This is a Disney movie, so they will always be there. But, here it's unique and luminous. It felt colorful and shiny how much the music stands out from the other Disney movies I've seen. Now let's talk about the rest of the movie.

The film opens with the one thing I hate mostly in films, narration of the Plot and setting. The narrarion itself was mostly just setting the tone for the movie and it did that well, I guess. However, it included some of the laziest writing Disney has to offer. Than it cuts to the main characters who are so flat and cardboard, I barely remember the one that dies 30 minutes later. Oh yeah, by the way, this movie is roughly two hours long and doesn't introduce the plot until 45 minutes in.

We are introduced to the most annoying character in cinema since Jar Jar Bunks, Coda. He does have some sweet and heartfelt moments, but they aren't earned when he has been harassing Kenai most of the time they are together.

The flashback scene at the camp where Kenai realizes that he killed Coda's mother was handled very well, I thought. It's just the sound and editing that was pretty sloppy, but the emotion as handled well.

The separation of Kenai and Coda along with Phil Collins' music was pure Disney magic. These small moments are what make the movie truly stand out to me. And a lot of it is thanks to Phil Collins talent.

The ending of the movie, however, wasn't handled well. The battle between Kenai and his brother had awkward editing and strange music choices make it hard to understand what emotion it was trying for.

The very last part of the movie is more Disney magic with a great moral and clever music choices. However, it does set up a sequel which is twice as bad as this one.

This movie has great music, animation and wonderful set designs. It suffers from unlikable and annoying characters and bad editing and slow pacing, and I'm gonna give Brother Bear a 5/10.