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dylankbeam
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A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)
Not What I Expected...it was better (but not perfect)
One thing we did not need was another survivalist film centered around military operations, etc. Thankfully, they went a different route with this film and centered it around the story of a woman trying to survive a confusing and sudden attack with the added challenge of suffering from a fatal disease (likely cancer). She was mentally strong and physically weak, but her survival friend was mentally struggling and physically strong. A brilliant role reversal from the typical survival story as she helped him (along with the cat) keep going through mental struggles. It was a beautiful story of humanity while in crisis told in a brilliant way (so much more than just survival). The pizza storyline was one of my favorites. The actors were all phenomenal, especially Lupita and Joseph.
However, because we were expecting to understand where these monsters came from, why they were there, how they got there, etc. It was somewhat disappointing to come away from it still asking a lot of questions. We basically just know they showed up and chaos ensued and people had to try and survive. We already kind of knew that, so nothing new was really added except perhaps the beginning of how groups of people started the initial survival.
There was also a very underutilized major actor which makes me wonder if there will be a #4 and if he will be the main character in that telling. Almost like a passing of the baton in a relay race. There also seemed to be some kind of growth? Where the monsters gathered that I wonder if it will be explained later.
I enjoyed seeing completely new characters, I didn't need to see more of the original family from 1 & 2. I was very happy with how they ended it in the last moments. In general, I really liked this film and would recommend it.
The Out-Laws (2023)
Ugh, the writing...
The thing that lost me more than anything was that I could absolutely tell that this was written by men because of how terribly they wrote the female characters. These forward, sex-dominant female characters (the elite bank manager and the mob boss lady) are just not believable. I don't know a single woman who talks like that and even though it's fictional it screams of some fantasy where men wish women talked to them this way. It's so tired. I get it, they're in a male dominant world so they are theoretically playing the part, but...just not even believable as real people. I don't recommend this movie.
Pivoting (2022)
Why do networks set shows up to fail?
This show was so refreshing, funny and well-written. The characters were completely relatable, especially to us "geriatric millennials." This show was very well cast. Eliza Coupe is one of my favs and I'm here for her any day. I've also always loved Maggie Q and Ginnifer Goodwin. Talk about some less than stellar marketing though, I only just now found out about the show and it was already cancelled. It may have done better on a streaming platform vs. Fox. I didn't see a single ad about it anywhere and we live in and around a lot of entertainment advertising. Such a loss and I'm so disappointed! Another Happy Endings. IYKYK.
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
Love the actors & nostalgia, but hated the story
This movie was so utterly predictable it was a little painful. Luckily the nostalgia nods were sprinkled throughout and mostly not forced. You can tell they tried to have some funny one-liners which fell flat a lot of the time. They need to take some notes from Marvel on those. The CGI and action was as good as you'd expect and offered favorable intensity. The story itself was somewhat lazy IMO. Did I mention it was totally predictable? I left the theater going...meh.
Breakthrough (2019)
Smart film, Chrissy Metz is amazing!
If fans who like faith-based films are looking for an amazing story with known actors and quality film making...you've finally found it. It's one of the most well-made faith-based films since Passion of the Christ. Not at all the same type of story, but great acting, great cinematography and an all around REAL story. I wasn't distracted by cheesy acting and oh my gosh the Pastor says "what the hell!" Thank you for bringing me real life in a film that shows is what's possible with faith. Honestly, it's a great film with a lot of heart and incredibly inspiring. Even my 8 year old cried. Well done!