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El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)
A good Conclusion for Jesse Pinkman
Breaking Bad is a very important show to me. It's my favorite TV show, and it taught me a lot of things in life. It's been almost a year ever since I finished Breaking Bad, and now, El Camino: A Breaking Bad movie, comes out. This film is good. I thought the ending for Breaking Bad was perfect and ambiguous for Jesse and Walt, but this movie came out to show what happened to the characters out of almost nowhere I guess. Aaron Paul was so damn good in this film. His re-portrayal of Jesse Pinkman was so good it brings me back to Breaking Bad. There are numerous flashback scenes that include Todd, Walt and Mike, and those flashbacks are important because they affect the present in this movie, and that also brings me Breaking Bad vibes. The movie ends with Jesse moving to Alaska peacefully, after struggling to find cash for a fake identity. This was a good ending yes, and it was what many people (including me) expected right after the end of Breaking Bad, before this movie came out. I wish this film took more risks, but if this is what Vince Gilligan envisioned, then I respect that. Random thought: doesn't Walt look a bit different in the flashback scene? Like his shaved head seemed too perfectly shaved and he looked like a wax figure lmao. I don't know if that's just me but it doesn't affect my thoughts on the film. Was this movie necessary? Sure. I'm gonna give Breaking Bad an 8/10.
Joker (2019)
An Oscar worthy performance from Joaquin Phoenix
I've been waiting for this film for a while. After the sound check for this movie from Todd Phillip's Instagram that came out almost a year ago, I've been so pumped for Joker ever since. I watched this film 2 days ago, and I gotta say, this is the best film I've seen in a movie theater by a long shot. Let's start with the obvious, Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker is definitely one of the best performances of the decade, and possibly in my top 10 favorite performances of all time. Joaquin was haunting in this film, his smile, his laugh, and his actions all feel so real and terrifying. Also, I really feel connected and understand his character even though he's doing all of these bad things. Todd Phillips did a really good job with the direction in this film. Another great thing about this film is its cinematography. This film's colors bounce off the screen and every shot in the film felt so in my face I loved it. I saw it in Dolby Cinema, and the experience was dazzling. The film made me feel like I was right there with the characters. Let's talk about Heath Ledger's joker versus Joaquin Phoenix's joker. Ledger's joker was on screen in The Dark Knight for about 50 minutes, and he sells every second of it. Although, there was almost no arc for Heath's joker and I didn't connect with him unlike Joaquin's joker. I feel like Heath's joker is a better performance, but Joaquin's joker felt more like a person that I could connect and understand more. If Joaquin doesn't win Best Actor I'm gonna hate the academy forever. My only issue with the film, which is kinda major, is its similarities to Taxi Driver. This film takes many aspects from Taxi Driver like many other films, but Joker especially. There were some moments in this film that were a lot like some moments in Taxi Driver. The first act of this film felt familiar, but the second and third act of this film really hits home. I'm gonna keep this brief, but there are a few subplots in this film that are a bit ballsy, that has never been expressed in any form of a joker comic or film or tv show. Some might find these subplots weird, but I find them pretty compelling and is one of the most unique parts of this film. People have been saying that this film is violent and some have even said that this film is "dangerous." I disagree with those statements highly because this film isn't too violent, and the violent parts are shown in a really raw and realistic way, not being hollywoodized violence. There are way more violent films in my opinion that people have forgotten about, like almost every single Tarantino film, or Drive, and heck, even Taxi Driver. People are just saying these exaggerated things to get attention, and that really ticks me off. This was probably one of my most anticipated films of all time, and it did not disappoint. I like how 2 of my most anticipated films come out in the same week, Joker and El Camino lol. Look out for my El Camino review coming out soon. I'm gonna give Joker a 9/10.
Nymphomaniac: Vol. I (2013)
Gross but good
It's been awhile since I wrote a movie review on IMDb, my first one of the summer actually. I've been working pretty hard on a screenplay I'm writing, and I'm currently 28 pages in. I've been missing reviewing movies so I'll review Nymphomaniac Vol. 1 today.
Lars Von Trier is a weird dude. He legit said at Cannes a few years ago that he sympathises with Hitler and that freaks me out. He apparently said he was joking, but I still think he's weird as hell. Anyways, I saw this movie on Netflix, and when it was done, I was like "why is this movie on Netflix?" Nymphomaniac Vol. 1 is one of the grossest movies I've ever seen. There are many sex scenes in this movie that disgust me that I want to erase from my memory. The film follows the life of a nymphomaniac, and sex is to be expected in the story, but Lars Von Trier decided to go all out and film the most rough and not holding back sex scenes probably in cinema history.
There are many good things in this film though, like the acting, especially from Stacy Martin and Shia Lebouf, who had to do all the dirty stuff. If I was an actor, I'd probably never do a role similar to Stacy Martin's or Shia Lebouf's performance in this film. The cinematography is great, typical for a Lars Von Trier film. He does great stuff with the camera, but shows the grossest things, especially in this movie. There are editing techniques that are very meta that I actually really like. Things pop onto the screen that correlate with what the characters are saying and doing, and I really like that.
Nymphomaniac Vol. 1 is a good film. Lars Von Trier knows his stuff, but should really hold himself back with his desires and lust when it comes to filmmaking. I'd probably never see this movie ever again, and I'll watch Nymphomaniac Vol. 2 one day. I'm gonna give Nymphomaniac Vol. 1 an 8/10.
Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
Flawless, One of the most important films I've ever seen
Wow, it's been a while since I've written a movie review. It's near the end of my freshman year, and I've been concentrating on finals and trying to bump on grades up and doing other hobbies other than movie reviewing. I found some time today to squeeze in one movie review. Over this period of time, I've been falling in love with the director Paul Thomas Anderson.
Karsten Runquist mentioned his work in some of his YouTube videos, and I decided to check out his movies. The first Paul Thomas Anderson film I watched was Punch Drunk Love. It was on Netflix, and I had no idea what it was about. And watching it was a great experience. I'm not gonna get into any spoilers here because this movie is too good to spoil, but this is probably one of the most important films I've ever seen. It conveys so much truth about falling in love, and I think it is accurate. Before watching this film, I didn't take Adam Sandler very seriously. I thought he was a very lazy actor that didn't try to make his characters very special other than the humor. Adam Sandler has the best performance of his career in this film. His character feels so real and I feel everything he feels.
The colors in this movie burst off the screen, and colors have a lot of symbolism in the film. The story flows like a stream, and the writing is just beautiful. I have to say that this film is flawless, in my opinion. I watched this film so many times, ever since the first viewing, which was a few months ago, and I can't let it go. Stay tuned for more Paul Thomas Anderson film reviews that I planned for the future, and I recommend this film to everyone. Of course I'm gonna give Punch Drunk Love a 10/10
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D (2005)
An awful film that I watched as a kid
As a kid, I'd watch disney channel and this movie would air occasionally. I'd watch it and have a genuine good time, but now it is painful to watch. But it is also a so bad its good movie, so yeah, I'd give this movie a 1/10 but i still recommend you guys watch it because it is unintentionally hilarious.
The Hateful Eight (2015)
I wish there was more in this tarantino film
Quentin Tarantino's new movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is coming out this summer. I'm super stoked for it and I want to watch all of the movies he has written/directed and one of them is The Hateful Eight, the movie I am reviewing today.
I absolutely love Tarantino's style of filmmaking. The dialogue is fluid and very catchy. Even in his not so great films, his dialogue is still so damn good. Although, some of his movies have dialogue that doesn't propel the story along, and sometimes feels like a waste of time. I believe Pulp Fiction and The Hateful Eight suffers from that. The dialogue is still good, but it feels like it's just there just to be funny, with no other purpose. This is my biggest issue with The Hateful Eight. The second act has the most pointless but good dialogue.
Like all Tarantino films, there is exquisite acting in this movie. Samuel L. Jackson has a top notch performance in this film, it could be his second best performance in a Tarantino film, behind Pulp Fiction. Kurt Russell has such a great performance in this movie, he's so good. Everyone else in this movie is also stupendous, especially Channing Tatum. When I saw his name in the opening credits, I was like "wow, really, Channing Tatum, c'mon Tarantino you can do better than that." And when Channing Tatum came onto the screen, I was really shook that his acting is as good as everyone else's performance in this movie. I did not expect him to be this good in this movie, and I was proven wrong. I didn't take Channing Tatum seriously as an actor until I watched him in this movie. Bravo, Channing Tatum.
My biggest issue with this movie is the second act. The first act was decent, the third act was amazing, and the second act just wasn't that good. The second act is filled with pointless dialogue with nothing propelling the story. It was sort of boring for most of the second act. It was just characters sitting in one space doing almost nothing. If the whole movie was as good as the third act, this film would've been a masterpiece. The third act was intriguing, fast paced (in a good way) and with lots of twists and turns. The first act was the introductory act where all the characters get to know each other, and that was fun to see. This movie was a bit long, but if the second act kept up with the other acts, it would've been great. 8/10
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
If the director made a few changes this movie would've been great
The Godzilla vs Kong movie is coming up soon, and in anticipation I'm going to review Kong: Skull Island. This movie blew my mind when I first saw it, but watching it recently, it doesn't hold up. It is a movie that could've been great if there weren't so many flaws that could've been fixed easily.
Kong Skull Island has a lot of great actors in the movie. Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John C. Reilly and John Goodman star in this film. They are all good in this movie, but they are so bland characters that you can't really rune for. These characters are just people that run away from kong and that's about it. They are blank slates that aren't interesting at all and even if they have good acting, their blandness makes that trait much weaker. There are some very dumb moments that could've been taken out of the film, and some scenes happen and they don't make much sense in terms of how that scene happened. There is also a lot of obvious cgi in the movie and some scenes look very artificial.
The action sequences in this movie are very entertaining and are a big redeeming factor in this movie. King Kong looks like a beast in this movie and so do all the other monsters in this movie. The best thing I can say about this movie is that it is watchable and disposable. Dan Gilroy wrote the screenplay for this movie with a bunch of less talented writers, and if it was just Dan Gilroy writing the screenplay for this movie, I'd be okay with that. Middle school Austin really liked this movie, but 9th grade Austin thought this movie was just meh. If they just gave the main characters some backstory with some interest, and if the stupid plot points were removed, this film would've been way more entertaining. I'd give this movie a 5/10.
Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)
Dan Gilroy blew it out of the park once again!
Velvet Buzzsaw is a netflix movie that didn't get too much love from critics and audiences. It came out very recently, and when I heard it was from the director of Nightcrawler, and that Jake Gyllenhaal was starring in it, I really wanted to watch. I gave Velvet Buzzsaw a watch last night, and I thought it was a really good movie.
Right off the bat, Velvet Buzzsaw is not as good as Dan Gilroy's most popular film, Nightcrawler. I thought Nightcrawler was a masterpiece, and Velvet Buzzsaw wasn't as unique as Nightcrawler was. My favorite aspect of Velvet Buzzsaw was its satirical elements about the art world. It was really funny and at times there are times where you shouldn't laugh, but you still do. Velvet Buzzsaw is about the art world and how greed gets in the way of actual art. That's the best way I can describe the film without giving away too much, and there's a bunch of supernatural stuff too by the way.
Jake Gyllenhaal was the protagonist in this movie, and he was much more of a different character in this movie than he was in Nightcrawler. In Nightcrawler, he was a sociopath, and in this movie, he's the complete opposite. But I can still see the similarities between the two Gyllenhaal characters. Both characters have something that drives them into a completely different direction, and it changes the whole story. All the acting in this movie was great, especially Jake Gyllenhaal.
A problem that I had with this movie is its cliches and predictability. There are some plot elements that I saw from a mile away, but there are also other things that I didn't expect. Some characters are just there to be funny or to say exposition to the audience and not much else. If this movie didn't suffer from this, I think it'd be much better.
Netflix has made amazing movies in the past, like Roma, and they have also made mediocre movies like To All The Boys I Have Loved Before, which I still don't get why it got so much praise. Velvet Buzzsaw falls in between those movies as being a good film. 8/10
Terminator Genisys (2015)
A disgrace to the Terminator Franchise
When I was younger, I was a huge Terminator fan. I watched all of the movies and even though some of them weren't as good as others, I still enjoyed them. And I was really pumped when I heard that a new Terminator movie was coming out. I watched Terminator Genisys when I was about 12, and I liked it at the time. I just watched it recently, and I thought to myself, "What was wrong with me back then, why did I like this movie!?"
As you can tell, I really didn't like this movie. It was a hair's length away from being awful. Let's start with the cons, and there's a lot of them. The movie has a terrible script, and that's probably the worst part about it. It's so predictable, and every time they try to spice it up, it doesn't seem like a surprise because I can see it from a mile away. The acting is dull, especially from Jai Courtney and Emilia Clarke. The action sequences are not very impressive. This movie feels like it copies from a bunch of good action movies and combines it into one big mess. This movie also recycles concepts from other Terminator movies, and it doesn't feel like its own thing.
It has been announced that a new Terminator movie is coming out that completely ignores all the Terminator movies after Judgement Day, and I was really pleased with that. I hope that movie will be good, I really do. James Cameron is producing and writing that movie, and I really like that move. The only small redeeming part about Terminator Genisys is Arnold Schwarzenegger, and I guess it was fun to see him again as the terminator. This movie is a disgrace to the Terminator franchise, and I'd give it a 2/10
Roma (2018)
Alfonso Cuaron' s best film, I hope it wins Best Picture
The oscars are coming up, and there were a lot of controversial nominations that were announced. Black Panther, A Star is Born, and Bohemian Rhapsody got nominated for a bunch of oscars, including Best Picture, and a lot of people (including me) were scratching our heads on why those movies got so much recognition. A lot of people think First Man got snubbed. I didn't watch the movie, but I can somewhat agree on it because of all the praise it got. I am pissed off about how Hereditary, one of favorite movies of 2018, didn't get a single nomination. Maybe because it's an artsy movie, and everyone knows how the oscars hate those. But I do agree with the academy on one thing, which is giving Roma a bunch of nominations, and that is the movie I will be reviewing today.
Karsten Runquist said that Roma is his favorite movie of 2018, and of course I had to check it out. It was on Netflix, so I watched it one night, and I was blown away. There are too many great things about the movie. To be completely honest, I don't see a flaw in it at all.
Alfonso Cuaron directed this movie, and he is a director known to immerse the viewer into the movie using his cinematography. That goes for all of his movies except Gravity, because that movie is stupid. This movie is immersive not just for the fantastic cinematography, but for the interesting story that is being presented as well. Every sound in the movie makes me feel like I'm there with the characters, and I can feel what the characters are feeling as well.
The acting in this movie is so damn good. Yalitza Aparicio is the lead actress in this movie, and this is her first acting role ever. It blows my mind how good she does on her first role. She got nominated for Best Actress at the academy, and I really hope she wins. All the other actors in this movie also give great performances, and I hope these new actors will have a good career ahead of them.
This film was shot in black and white, and it really gives a old school feel to the movie. Some shots are really contrasted and vibrant, and it gives a shiny look even though this movie is in black and white. The plot is like a rollercoaster. There are so many ups and downs, and it gave me a variety of emotions throughout the film. When the movie ended, I thought to myself, "I wish it was longer." When I want a movie to be longer than it is, I know that I like it very much. This movie is a masterpiece, no doubt about it, and I hope it wins Best Picture. 10/10
Glass (2019)
What a disappointment :(
Glass is probably my most anticipated movie of all time. Ever since I watched Split, then Unbreakable, I've been waiting for this movie for more than a year. Last night I watched it with my cousin, and I was pumped out of my mind. I'm very sad to say that Glass isn't a great movie. It's barely a good movie, in fact. I was very disappointed leaving the theatre, because my most anticipated movie of all time was not good.
Let's start with the good things about this movie. James Mcavoy, Samuel L. Jackson, and Bruce Willis were all magnificent in this movie. Bruce Willis surprisingly tried in this movie, unlike his previous projects where it looked like he was waiting for his paycheck. I won't spoil the movie, but most of the plot was interesting. There were many ideas thrown out that were intriguing, and some were not, but I'll save that for later. The score is dazzling, the cinematography is mostly stunning. There were some camera angles that were irritating, but I'll also save that for later. James Mcavoy was hilarious and amazing at the same time, playing 24 different personalities. The action sequences were awesome, and I was wondered for a while what the action sequences would be like in this movie. Unbreakable had one short action sequence and Split had no action at all. This movie had numerous action sequences, and most of them were great.
Now let's talk about the negatives, and I want to start off with my biggest issue I have with the movie, and that is almost the whole third act. The only redeeming factors of the third act is some of the acting and some cool action/suspenseful sequences. That's it, and the rest of the third act had weird decisions from characters, an awkward scene that felt out of place, and a whole lot of Shyamalan cliches that many people make fun of. The Shyamalan cliches are in pretty much in all of his movies, and sometimes they are used in a good way, or in a bad way. Glass used it in a bad way, and it did not feel fulfilling. The ending itself, to me, was very disappointing. A good amount of people actually like the ending, and a google tag on this movie was "great ending". I could see how people like it, but I wasn't a big fan of it. The ending just made me sigh really loudly because after all the hype and waiting, this was the ending we got. It was very disappointing for me because after 19 years in the making, the Unbreakable trilogy ended in a pretty lame way. I don't know how this ending got picked, my cousin and I thought of better endings for the movie and we wished those endings were picked for the movie.
Sarah Paulson's character is that one character that give a lot of exposition to the audience. She wasn't a good character in my opinion because she was only there to give exposition to the audience, and it wasn't even subtle exposition. It felt forced, like "hey listen to what I have to say because it's important!" The camera angles in some scenes were frustrating because there were shots that were right in a character's face, and it annoyed me. The second act also dragged for a good amount of time because it's mostly Sarah Paulson's character just giving information to the audience. I'm really disappointed by this movie, what a bummer. I'd give Glass a 6/10
A Quiet Place (2018)
A different take on the horror genre that is efficiently thrilling
During spring break last year, my cousins and one of their friends and I watched the movie I will be reviewing today, A Quiet Place. I didn't know much about the movie going into it, but the only thing I knew was that it was going to a horror movie. And while watching it, I was presented with a different take on horror. A Quiet Place famously used silence as the main horror trope, something that hasn't been used very often in the horror genre. The scares came from the sudden noises coming out of the silence, but most of it wasn't jump scary. The plot is about a family living in a future world where aliens that are attracted by sound roams the earth. The family aspect of the story really shines in this movie because it provides a dramatic tension that most horror movies don't have, so to speak. I almost cried at a specific dramatic part of the movie, and it was gut wrenching. The scares were genuine and thrilling.The lack of dialogue fit the movie and when the characters spoke, it felt like a huge plot twist even though it was one little thing. Issues I have with the movie is that there can be some cheap scares and there are some decisions that raise my eyebrows, but other than that, I thought A Quiet Place is a great movie. Even though the movie ended on a some would call, cheap cliffhanger, I am looking forward to the sequel that is currently in production. 8/10
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
A masterpiece that I might not watch ever again
A common question that is brought up in film discussions is, "What is the saddest movie you've ever seen?" A common movie that is said is Up, Toy Story 3, Marley and Me, and Schindler's List. I have to agree that all of these movies are sad, but not nearly as sad as the movie I will be reviewing today, Requiem For A Dream. I, personally, think this movie is the saddest movie I have ever seen. The only time I saw it was months ago, but it is still fresh on my mind. I get the chills everytime I think about it, heck, I'm getting chills thinking about it right now.
I don't want to get into much spoilers, but Requiem For A Dream is about drug addiction. A few people get addicted to various drugs, and it ruins pretty much the rest of their lives. That's all I'm gonna go into in terms of spoilers. The presentation of this movie is in your face, at times it's very fast, and at other times, it wants to make you remember very disturbing scenes. This movie is pretty disturbing as well because drugs are represented as the worst thing that can ever happen to you. The first act wasn't too dramatic, it essentially builds the characters so that you know what they're going through before drug addiction. Then the drugs come in and the movie gets more and more miserable before the third act. The third act is so intense and sad at the same time, it gives me chills typing about it.
Jared Leto is one of our protagonists and he is the first character that is introduced in this movie, and his acting is outstanding. Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly, and Marlon Wayans are also in this movie, and their acting is also really good. Especially Ellen Burstyn's acting, she blew it out of the park and also earned an oscar nomination for her performance. The movie has a low budget esque feel, and it utilizes it so well because the presentation feels dirty and raw, just like many of the things happening in the movie.
The famous Lux Aeterna song is in this movie, and I freaking loved it. This movie has impacted me in so many ways, it's probably one of my favorite movies that I will never watch again. It was done so well and I think Darren Aronofsky blew it out of the park with this movie, and I'd give Requiem For A Dream a 10/10.
The Emoji Movie (2017)
WHy dOeS tHiS MOviE EvEn EXisT
Why does The Emoji Movie exist? Why was this movie made? I can't believe some people thought making a movie about face icons on your phones would be a good idea. Well, it wasn't, and The Emoji Movie has to be the worst movie I've seen in quite some time. Some kids may find some enjoyment in this movie, but it's all from stupid jokes and seeing their favorite app in an animated movie. I think the biggest issue with this movie is the lesson it is expressing to kids. This movie's lesson is go on your phones and use emojis. That's the legit lesson, I am not kidding. Kids aren't learning anything good when watching this film, so they shouldn't watch it ever. I watched it with friends as a joke, and it actually was fun because we made fun of everything going on in the movie. The plot of this movie is very simple yet dumb, I feel like a seven year old could've made the script of this movie. Just the whole concept of emojis on phones going on an adventure sounds dumb. The Emoji Movie made $217 million at the box office!!! Like, why, what a waste of money. The budget was $50 million, and that money could've been used for a new film maker to make their first theatrical release, or could've been donated to charity. I think that $50 million was a big oof by sony animation. Making the movie was also a waste of time. That time making the movie could've been used to volunteer at a local soup kitchen, or making a better movie. I'd obviously give The Emoji Movie a 1/10.
The Neon Demon (2016)
A very polarizing movie that I thoroughly enjoy
Just to start right off the bat, I'm a big Nicolas Winding Refn fan. I've only watched 4 of his movies, and I worship all of them. Even the not so great Only God Forgives, I still highly appreciate for its uniqueness. Drive is one of my favorites, Bronson was a really solid movie for it's superbly low budget, Only God Forgives is a very tough movie to watch, but there is many things to appreciate while watching it. The Neon Demon falls along the style of Only God Forgives. Drive and Bronson were very accessible films, ones that most audiences wouldn't hate. Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon are not so mainstream like Refn's other films. Definitely my favorite thing about The Neon Demon is its complexity and style. This movie isn't so straightforward, and many audiences might not like that. There are scenes that on the surface, might not make sense, but in the context of the story and its deeper meanings will make sense in terms of why that scene is in the movie. I can describe the movie's style as eye candy, and also, not holding back it's violence and gore. There are time where I feel disgusted watching this movie, and at other times, feeling hypnotized on what is going on. I like to watch movies where I get a strong reaction from what is going on, and this movie succeeds in that. The movie also doesn't have much dialogue either. This movie is mostly visual storytelling, and it is used beautifully. The overarching message in this movie is also horrifying, if you really think about it, and it is also very realistic. Some unsettling things that happened in this movie certainly happened in real life, and I'm just saying that this movie portrays objectification, jealousy, and how beauty is represented in the real world. The only complaint I have with this movie is that sometimes there is too much violence, and I feel like Refn is just putting stuff on screen that he enjoys. But, this movie is definitely my second favorite Refn film, and I really can't get enough of it. This movie gives me chills just thinking about it. I'd give The Neon Demon a 9/10
The Mummy (2017)
A terrible attempt to start a new movie universe
I think Tom Cruise is one of the best actors working today. Not necessarily because of his acting skills, but instead, his ability to perform amazing stunts. He climbed the burj Khalifa, he jumps between buildings, he climbs treacherous cliffs, and in the movie I'm reviewing today, he performed zero gravity stunts and dodged real explosives. 2017's The Mummy is a movie I'm mixed on. A part of me thinks it's a fun summer movie, and another part of me thinks the movie is a terrible startup to a new universe Universal Studios tried to create. I've watched this movie a handful of times, and I'm still conflicted with myself. Let's start with the pros of this movie. Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, and Russell Crowe are really good in this movie. Sofia Boutella especially is really good in this film as the main monster, the mummy itself. There are many great action sequences in this movie that really entertained me. The mythology of the mummy and its history in this movie intrigued me very much. Now let's dive into the cons of this movie. Annabelle Wallis and Jake Johnson are very weak characters in this movie. Annabelle Wallis is supposed to be the damsel in distress in this movie that gives exposition, and she wasn't an interesting character in this movie. Jake Johnson was the funny sidekick in this movie, and he was super annoying and barely gave good jokes. I found Tom Cruise's character to be funnier than Jake Johnson's character. This movie also resembled the original in ways, and that familiar feeling didn't make the film any better. Heck, the 1999 mummy and the 2017 mummy both have a sandstorm with a face in it. I recently got a 4k blu ray player and some 4k movies to match with my 4k TV, and my dad wanted to buy some 4k movies as well. He bought The Great Wall in 4K, which I heard isn't that good, and he bought The Mummy (2017) in 4K. He said he really enjoys these movies, and I just sighed in disappointment. This movie at times can be a fun summer movie, and at other times, a bloated movie that tries so hard to be original and fresh. I'd give The Mummy a 5/10
Red Sparrow (2018)
I was let down with this one :(
Red Sparrow is a movie I've been wanting to watch for a while. To me, it seemed like a movie I'd like. I heard from many that it is a "James Bond and Black Swan combined." And being a huge fan of both movies, I really wanted to watch it. I picked it up from the library, like I do with most movies I want to watch. The first like 10 minutes of the movie was what I expected, but then after, it turned into something I didn't expect. The first 10 minutes of the movie is essentially Jennifer Lawrence's character performing ballet in a recital while Joel Edgerton is doing some spy stuff and it is not explicitly said what he is doing until much later, and that is one of my biggest problems in this film. I really love it when Jennifer Lawrence is on screen and kicking butt, but Joel Edgerton's subplot is kind of boring, and I did not care about him at all. He's actually kind of a weak character to be honest. And what comes along with Joel Edgerton's subplot is boredom. The movie gets boring when we pay attention to Joel Edgerton because he isn't interesting, and Jennifer Lawrence's character is way more interesting. The performances are pretty good in this movie, especially from Jennifer Lawrence, and there are many thrilling sequences as well, especially at the beginning of the movie. The second act of the movie is kind of boring because Joel Edgerton's subplot kind of intertwines with Jennifer Lawrence's subplot, and it creates a bland part of the movie that really doesn't go anywhere because not much is happening. The twists in the movie really aren't shocking, in my opinion at least, because it does not really bring the story in another direction. When the twist happened, I was just like, "Okay, I guess that happened", and that's it. I feel like if you're a huge fan of spy movies, I think you'd like this one. 7/10
The Snowman (2017)
Tomas Alfredson took a fat L with this one
One of my most anticipated movies of all time no joke, is this movie I'm reviewing, The Snowman. I was pumped out of my mind to see this movie. The trailer looked intriguing, the concept, I thought was really unique, and it looked like a movie I would enjoy. Little did 13 year old Austin know, this movie was terrible. Watching it was a waste of time. This is around the time where I just found my interest in film, and this movie really disappointed a new coming film lover. This movie is probably one of the most disappointing movies I have ever seen. I paid my own hard earned money to see this movie, and it was such a waste of $10. I watched it a second time last week to get prepared for this review, and I still think this movie is terrible. The first 30 minutes of this movie was not that bad, it actually intrigued and interested me. But the rest of the movie was terrible and the first 30 minutes don't make up for it. I can compliment this movie on only 2 things, (but it won't change my score for this movie) the acting and cinematography. The acting is actually kind of good, especially from Michael Fassbender. The cinematography is beautiful, I feel like I'm in the snowy landscape of Norway (the place where the movie is set). And other than those aspects, I thought the movie was terrible. My biggest issue with this movie is how confusing it is. A lot of the events that happen don't add up and the conclusion feels out of place because everything before it felt out of place. For the majority of the movie, we are scratching our heads because we don't know what is going on. I've read from some articles that about 10 to 20 percent of the movie didn't get a chance to get film because of schedule problems. Maybe that 20 percent of movie could've fixed the final film's confusion. The main characters in this movie are bland as mayonaise. They are not interesting at all and we have to go along with them and witness them solve this mystery. At the end of the movie, we're not cheering for them because they are not likeable at all because they are boring. Another thing that frustrated me is the choice of cutting to another event when something remotely interesting happened. It really bothered me and that really ticked me off. There is an "action" scene at the end of the movie that didn't really make sense at all because the way it is shown on the screen is so rancid, it confused the poop out of me. And the main character's finger gets cut off in that scene, and it doesn't make sense on how it happened. Just watch that scene on youtube, it'll remind you of an Olivier Megaton movie. The ending scene of the movie also tries to set up a sequel, and in my mind, I was like, "the sequel's not gonna happen". The Snowman is one of the worst movies in recent memory, please don't watch it 1/10
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
This movie made my day
I'm trying to watch more Tarantino nowadays because I want to thoroughly understand his filmmaking style and techniques and I would want to have an opinion on all of his movies. A few days ago, I picked up Inglourious Basterds at the library a few days ago, and I watched it last night by myself because I enjoy doing that and I feel like doing activities alone regain my energy. And I thought Inglourious Basterds was freaking awesome. There are so many good things about it. It is not a perfect movie, but there are so many things to love, and I provides this movie with lots of entertainment for the viewers. I think Tarantino's best skill is his interesting writing. A lot like Christopher Nolan's writing, where it is complex, gripping, and has twist and turns, but Tarantino makes these concepts funny and witty, but for this movie, Tarantino also makes the movie subtly suspenseful from his writing. The best thing about this movie is Tarantino's use of subtle suspense, and the entertaining dialogue as always. The suspense is this movie is not really in your face suspense, it's like in the back of your mind suspense. The scene itself isn't really suspenseful, but there are things happening that can give you a suspenseful vibe. A great example of this is the opening scene and the tavern scene. The dialogue is on point as always in every single Tarantino film, and in this movie, it is especially funny. The acting in this movie is also amazing, just like in every Tarantino film. Brad Pitt is awesome in this movie and his accent is so over the top, I love it. Christoph Waltz won an academy award from this movie as his performance as a german detective, and he is great as his role. The majority of this film is actually spoken in languages other than english, and I found that to be pretty accurate because this movie takes place in Europe. The things that come out of this mouth and the emotions that he shows on his face proves that he can act. There are times where he makes you laugh, and there are times where he makes you afraid of his power and might. This movie takes place during World War 2, and this isn't really a straight up war film. This movie is more like a drama that takes place during a war, but there isn't any soldiers shooting other soldiers in this movie. This movie is also very violent and there are scenes in this movie that made me cringe in disgust. During the second act, it did feel a bit boring at times, and there are scenes that didn't really need to drag as long as it should've, but other than that, I thought this film was great. 9/10
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
First Kubrick film I've ever watched, pretty dam good
Stanley Kubrick has made many movies that people either love or hate, A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Eyes Wide Shut, movies that are not very popular but are liked by some people, Barry Lyndon, Dr. Strangelove, Paths of Glory, and there are his movies that everyone pretty much loves, The Shining, and the movie I will be reviewing today, Full Metal Jacket. I picked this up at my local library on blu ray and watched it on a friday night. On the way home, my dad asked me what movie I got, I showed him the blu ray, and he was like "that's a very good movie" and yeah that was all. Watching Full Metal Jacket, it didn't remind me of other good war films I've seen. It was very different from Saving Private Ryan, Dunkirk, Hacksaw Ridge, it is really unique, probably the most unique war film I've ever seen. The storytelling and the elements in the story about the Vietnam war really made it raw. That's how I'd describe the movie, raw. R. Lee Ermey really gave one of the best performances in history in this movie, in my opinion. Even though he was on screen for about 15 minutes, he made those 15 minutes so intense, so great, and gives the movie dark comedic scenes. I think his performance as Sgt. Hartman is one of the best performances of all time. Vincent D'Onofrio's performance as a private that struggles in the beginning of the movie because of military training camp being too hard for him, and R. Lee Ermey's character being a hard mentor, challenging Vincent D'Onofrio's character physically and mentally, it is really compelling stuff. The part where he shoots Sgt. Hartman, then shoots himself, is one of the most jaw dropping scenes of all time. The look on Vincent D'Onofrio's face in that scene haunted me for the rest of that night. There is also another main character in this movie named Joker, (that's his nickname). He is in this military camp with Vincent D'Onofrio's character, and he goes through this camp, watching horrific things happen, you really get into the shoes of this character. The next acts of this movie is Joker going to Vietnam and experiencing the war. This part of the movie was really different from the first part back on Parris Island. A lot of people thought this 2nd part of the movie was not as good as the first part, but I thought both parts were great. The Vietnam war was portrayed so rough and raw in this movie, it was pretty breathtaking. The message/allegory of this story was so beautiful and 100% true, it really makes me look at war differently. The only issue I have with this movie is that I thought the movie really dragged at the middle of the film. Not much things were going on, there wasn't really much of a direction either, it just kind of felt like the story was going nowhere. Other than that, I thought this movie was really good. 9/10
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Not a big fan of this acclaimed film
Now that I think about it, I really should watch more Tarantino films. The only movies I've seen from him is Kill Bill: Volume One, Kill Bill: Volume Two, and the movie I'm going to review today, Pulp Fiction. This is the first movie I saw from Quentin Tarantino, because of all the praise it gets, and I'm not particularly a huge fan of Pulp Fiction. The first time watching it, I was thinking to myself, "What's the point?" One of my biggest issues with this movie is that there kinda isn't really a plot. The way I'd describe the "plot" of this movie is that there are a bunch of people with journeys of their own and they then are all connected by the end of the movie. That's the best way I could describe this movie, and that aspect of the movie I really didn't like. On a better note, I'll talk about the things I really liked about the movie. The dialogue is on point, it is really spectacular. The dialogue was so fluid, catchy, and really fun. There are some really popular quotes that came from this movie, like the "royale with cheese" talk, and the "I shot Marvin in the face" thing, and I guess those are pretty cool. The soundtrack and score is pretty catchy, I have to say. The acting is on fire, I think all the actors in this movie are great, they felt like real people, not characters. John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson, I have to say, have top notch performances. I'm 100% sure that I am the minority saying I'm not a fan of this movie. I just feel like this movie is not for me I guess. The movie is pretty long, at almost 3 hours long, and it really shows cause this movie felt super long and at many times boring. Around the 2nd act especially, was pretty boring throughout. I could see why people like this movie, and I can see why people don't like it, and I'm part of the group of people that don't like this movie. If I could describe this movie in one word it would be "ambivalent". There are things in this movie that people would like, and there are things in this movie that people wouldn't like. There will be many people that would disagree with me saying that they thought the movie was amazing, and I can't blame them and everyone has their own opinion on something, we live in a world that has that concept. This movie is one big 'ol mixed bag for me, and I'd give it a 6/10.
The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)
One of Derek Cianfrance's best
If you've been reading my movie reviews, you can probably tell that I love Ryan Gosling as an actor and as a person. In real life, he is a quiet, but really funny and charismatic man. But on the big screen, he is a phenomenal actor. He has even said that he doesn't act in too many movies because he doesn't want people to be sick of seeing him in a bunch of movies. At first, I thought that was a statement I wouldn't hear from much actors, but I realized that statement is 100% true. I love Samuel L. Jackson, but I can safely say he is in way to many movies. I just love him because of his memorable roles. I also like how Ryan Gosling chooses very interesting roles. He chooses roles that would challenge the actor, that are very different from other actors. Drive, Lars and the real girl, Blue Valentine, and the movie I'll be talking about today, The Place Beyond the Pines. If you're reading this review, please watch the movie first if you haven't, because I think you shouldn't know anything about the plot before watching it. I'll be getting into spoilers in this review, so watch the movie first if you haven't, then go back to this review. A while back ago, I was on a Ryan Gosling movie spree. I watched many of his movies and I think this movie is easily one of his top 5 movies. Ryan Gosling plays a motorcycle stuntman that performs at a circus. He then has to rob banks to ensure his child's future, while the mom is with another man. Bradley Cooper is also in this movie, and he plays as a police officer that does good and bad things to keep his image alive. I'll stop it right there for a plot synopsis. Ryan Gosling is great in this movie, he is very broken, and he has very powerful moments in this film, and he's only in this movie for like an hour! Eva Mendes plays Ryan Gosling's old flame, and throughout the whole film, her performance and actions really kept me invested in her journey as a mother trying to cope and help with her son, played by Dane Dehaan. Bradley Cooper's subplot also melds with Ryan Gosling/Eva Mendes/Dane Dehaan's subplot in a powerful message that is fatherhood passes down to sonhood, and that the father's decisions will also impact the son's decision on a situation. That's the best I could describe it, and I thought that was the best part of the movie, its message/meaning. It really impacted me, and made me think about my relationship with my father. I don't have the best relationship with him, and it kind of reflects on the message of this movie. Another thing I want to talk about is that one part in the movie where the film really shifts into a different tone. When Ryan Gosling gets killed by Bradley Cooper, we then follow bradley Cooper and his journey. At first, I was really confused about why the film did this, but in the end, I really knew why. The film reflects on Ryan Gosling's relationship with his son, and Bradley Cooper's relationship with his son, and the film ends with concluding both of these relationships in the story in such an artistic way, it left me speechless the first time. Other great things about this movie that I will keep short is the cinematography, screenplay, character moments, interesting camera angles, and its ending. This film I feel like I can't give 5 stars because the second time I watched it, it didn't feels as good as the first time. I don't know why, but it just did and both viewing did feel a little long at times. Other than that, this is a great movie that you should watch soon. 9/10
American Beauty (1999)
Good but didn't deserve its best picture win at the academy
1999 was a really good year for filmmaking. Many amazing hit movies were released that year, The Sixth Sense, The Matrix, Toy Story 2. Some movies released that year, people didn't like too much, but now it has a cult following, Fight club (one of my all time favorites), Eyes Wide Shut, The Mummy. And, there are movies released that year that many might say overrated, The Blair Witch Project, and the movie I'll be talking about today, American Beauty. This movie won best picture at the 2000 academy awards, and I found that out before watching the film. Throughout watching American Beauty, I kept wondering to myself, HOW DID THIS MOVIE GET BEST PICTURE WTFFFF. Well, I guess the academy awards in 2000 just thought that a movie like American Beauty is outstanding. As you can tell, I'm not a particularly huge fan of this movie. I'm not saying it's a bad movie, because it's not, but I don't think this movie is a masterpiece as some people have said. Let's start off with my biggest issue with the movie, the mood and tone of the movie just didn't sit right with the plot. The plot is considered creepy and weird, but the movie is a drama-comedy. Weird and drama-comedy don't mesh together very well, as presented in this movie. It's like trying to get 2 of the same poles on 2 magnets to attract to each other, IT DOESN'T WORK. I also didn't like a lot of Kevin Spacey's narration in this movie. It kind of spoils things that happens later in the movie, and I didn't like that. This isn't a con, but the scene where Ricky Fitts shows Lester's daughter the video of the flying bag was so unintentionally funny. The first time I watched the movie with my cousin, we laughed our asses off so hard. It was superbly unintentionally funny, I loved it. I'm glad that scene exists because it's so funny and memorable. Now, let's get into the pros of this movie. I'm really glad that this movie won best original screenplay at the academy, because the screenplay is really damn good. The information we need to know in this movie is presented so creatively, it blows my mind. If you watched the first Lessons On The Screenplay video on this movie, it goes over the creative methods used in the screenplay, and it is really nuts what Alan Ball did with this screenplay. The first dinner table scene in this movie is so memorable not just because it was intense, but because we learned just enough about these characters in a few exchanges of dialogue. The acting was phenomenal, especially Kevin Spacey's performance. I also like how the movie doesn't answer its questions that are brought up, because we the audience can have our own interpretation about what happens next. I think this is a really well made film. If the movie just got its tone and mood aligned with the plot, it could've been way better. 8/10
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
Bryan Singer can do way better than this
Many people are humongous fans of the X-men series, and well I'm not, but I can safely say that X-men Apocalypse is a disgrace to the series and to the director's history. Bryan Singer has made great films before this one, like X2, Days Of Future Past, and The Unusual Suspects. But this film is dog poop. Similar to Alien: Covenant, I really thought this film is bullcrap compared to the other movies in their series. My least favorite aspect of this movie is the villain. He is essentially the bad guy that comes back after thousands of years to destroy the world. We've seen it thousands of times in movies, and Bryan Singer can really do better than this. I also didn't really care about the backstories of the mutants. They didn't really interest me because they were uninteresting and their kind of bland to be completely honest. The only characters I like in this movie is Quicksilver, Mystique, and Wolverine because we've seen them in other movies and we know they're likable characters. Michael Fassbender plays Magneto in this movie, and the movie didn't utilize him very well in my opinion. He's just like a mutant and bad stuff happens to him and we don't really feel for him because we don't see much of him in this movie. Other than the characters I like, I thought everyone else was either boring, unnecessary, or uninteresting. The script is also very unoriginal because we've seen stuff like this happen and it isn't a breath of fresh air. The climax also, is very cliche and if I could describe this movie in one sentence, it would be unoriginal. I really thought this movie was a bust, let's hope the future X-men movies are better than this. 3/10
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Probably won't win any oscars, but it is still a monumental film
Being born and raised in an asian family, I was obviously excited for Crazy Rich Asians. It was a movie I've been waiting for, a movie with an all asian cast. And sitting in the movie theatre, I was beyond hyped, and Crazy Rich Asians really delivered. Starting off with one of the movie's best aspects, the humor. Crazy Rich Asians is a really funny movie and their jokes are original because it comes off as making fun of asian stereotypes ins a really good and funny way. I could relate to many of the jokes done in the movie because those jokes happens in my family and it's really funny especially for the people that understand the asian tropes and stereotypes. I also thought the acting from these asian actors were outstanding. Some of the actors and actresses in this movie are in their first acting roles, and they really perform in this movie. I really think Constance Wu, Henry Golding and Awkwafina are the best actors in this movie because they all are funny and serious in times where they need to be, and we the audience can relate to them in many ways. The plot is something we've seen before, but the movie feels very different because the delivery emphasizes asian culture, and that hasn't been expressed in a movie for a while. Some flaws I had with the movie is a subplot with a few family members and the pacing of the first act. The subplot is this affair with a man and a women and they are related to Henry Goldings character's family members. Even though this subplot kind of relates to the main plotline, I still felt like it was unnecessary. They just bring it up at random times and the whole movie would've been better if either they toned down the subplot a bit or completely removed it. The first act felt very slow paced because nothing was really going on. We are just introduced to the characters, parts of the plot, and a few potential conflicts that could occur in the movie, but it was introduced in such a bad way because I didn't feel too invested into the plot and if they elaborated more, it could've been better. Nevertheless, Crazy Rich Asians is a really entertaining movie that I can relate to btw I cried at the end pls watch it because it's great. 8/10