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johnaderson
Reviews
You Should Have Left (2020)
Enjoyable Enough
Some reminiscent of Bacon's previous work in Stir of Echoes, but without the edge and craft the previous film had. The tone and pace of the movie work well, but overall the story is a little bland, and even a strong performance by Bacon can't pull it back from enjoyable but not sure it's a really good movie zone.
Looks That Kill (2020)
New Take on Teenage Coming of Age Dramedy
Brandon Flynn shines as Max Richardson, a young man born with an unusual affliction; he kills people with his good looks. Julia Goldani Telles stars along side Flynn as a sort of empowered Pixie Dream Girl. The basic structure has been done a million times, boy is depressed, boy meets girl, boy learns how to be happy from girl. But the unusual condition Max suffers from and the comedic timing of first time director Kellen Moore takes this film beyond the standard teenage coming of age story. The world Moore creates around Flynn and Telles is quirky and unique and helps separate the story from more typical romps. The sets, camera, and music all create a sort of magical world that helps the audience fall into the believability of "Blegh, Massachusetts". The pace of the movie seems to be a bit scattered at times, but the strong performances of Flynn and Telles pull it through most issues there. Overall this was a surprisingly unique take on a somewhat tired genre.
The King of Staten Island (2020)
Davidson Shines Behind Apatow's Comedy
Pete Davidson stars in this "semi-autobiographical" story of a young man dealing with his fathers' death in this coming of age dramedy. After a few misfires recently, Apatow comes back strong with this movie; he surprisingly generate quite a lot of heart from Davidson, who definitely appears more comfortable in the jokester role. All-in-all this was a very enjoyable film.
Miss Juneteenth (2020)
Delicately Told Story
Nicole Beharie shines as an African American mother who wants her teenage duaghter ("Chikaeze") to win the Miss Juneteenth pageant and take advantage of the opportunities she was not able to seize in her own life. Peoples uses a delicate touch to tell this touching mother daughter story, and deserves a lot of praise as a first time director.