What a strange film. Parts felt like an after school special acting wise and other parts felt like a solid erotic drama. A lot of it just felt too shallow and all the slo-mo w electronica that I enjoyed early on seemed to stretch it 20 minutes too long. Can't go higher than 6.3 here.
Finally got around to watching this. The 1957 Lumet masterpiece is one of my all-time favourites, so I didn't feel the desire to see what I expected to be a far inferior offering. Well I came away with mixed emotions. There are some good elements here and the cast is first rate. My criticism comes from a lot of the dialogue and acting to feel ignorant by force. The amount of stubbornness and how it was portrayed became too much. A lot of passive aggressiveness. Still, that was by design. I stayed up until 530am to watch it so there is a rather large element of watchability here.
7.0.
Efron was great here. I expected to rate this higher than the 6.5 it's getting. Tragic story told well by a great writer/director in Sean Durkin. That said, when looking over a lot of the chosen omissions and just how the film itself made me feel or failed to make me feel, I just couldn't get to where I thought I'd be when watching it.
For a great review of more of the story I recommend checking out b&s about movies dot com. I'm unaffiliated, but enjoyed learning what I wasn't aware of there.
Went in expecting very little and walked out satisfied. I don't think I'd rate it this highly had I waited for the digital release on vod. Glad we hit up the cinema for this archetypal popcorn flick. Some of these movies don't have enough of the actual monster mashing. This one has it in spades and it was great fun. Some of the dialogue was brutally cringe, but on the whole it was a worthwhile adventure to seek out. 6.7
This was very well done as advertised. Captured the essence of a 70s late night talk show expertly. Loved the idea of having the cynic play a large role. Wonderfully creepy, yet understated on the whole. Strong 7.7 for me.
Wanted to like this more than I did. There are some elements I enjoyed, of course. Clown man is sufficiently creepy, and the back and forth between the crew feels genuine. With a low budget they did well in some areas, but it does fall short on the whole. *Warning: Relies on strobes in a few spots which took me out of it and will be tough to watch for other photosensitive viewers. This is to be expected during a haunted house movie, so I'm not penalizing that.
Okay acting and direction 5.2
Enjoyed this 90s style actioner that borrows heavily from its higher tier counterparts. Crawford and Martini were solid. There's some rough dialogue choices in the writing, but overall it punches a little above its weight. Enjoyable 6.4.
There are some funny moments and there are some shocking moments, but mostly there are a lot of dull moments. It didn't grab me like I thought it might. Generally enjoy most A24 films even some of the more deliberately paced, but this felt more of a miss than a win. Strong reviews setup unrealistic expectations perhaps. I like Keough quite a bit, but the character she plays is insufferable. That's the point, it's just not an enjoyable or entertaining watch. I thought Paige was pretty good. 5.1.
Finally got around to seeing this one. Shock gore galore with a well played villain even if the lack of any plot brought it down. Art the clown is pretty spectacular as a villain. I'm not a huge fan of obsessive shock gore, but for a 45k budget they did pretty well. A lot of it is so overkill to a super campy level that you can't take it seriously and I suppose that is the point, but at 1hr25 it was still too long. I was bored with the schtick pretty early on as good as Art's performance was. The sequel is apparently significantly better, but also an hr longer. I'll watch that and compare accordingly. 4.0 here.
I wasn't prepared for the level of acting this doled out. Some of the most absurd writing choices and brutal dialogue delivery ever committed to video. The tonal change and grittiness of the second and third acts was jarring, but not bad for horror enthusiasts. It was just very difficult to get over a lot of the acting. Thought it may be worth a shot, but I cannot come close to recommending this. 1.6/10
I wanted to like this more than I did. Efron and Crowe were good on the whole, although the latter wasn't in it for enough. The issue was the absurd level of ignorance of Efron's main character throughout. If it was a fictional movie I'd probably have turned it off halfway through. As a "based on true story" dramatization I felt compelled to stick it out. Most characters come across as cringe and there's a large quantity of overacting.
It does portray some of the sudden chaos well; however. 5.3
Considering it was written, directed and starred in by Chon it's a very impressive accomplishment. It's a well told story, but not without some lapses in pace. Vikander strengthens it and young Jessie was a standout. Disliked the dirty cop angle.
Very emotional. 7.2
I've been on a bit of a Sweeney movie run as of late and I think this is her best performance of the bunch. The movie is a bit raw, and rough around the edges, but her performance shines through. I liked Iseman's portrayal of her sister Vivian as well. I saw someone comment that this is like a clumsy horror attempt at whiplash, and that's both a fair, but also reductive take. Whiplash is a superior film, but the similarities are mild. This is its own thing and surprised me. Commendable 6.5.
Wow. Didn't realize I was getting into a Lynchian fever dream. Garfield is fantastic in this. There's a lot to unpack, but without spoiling anything I'll recommend checking out the subreddit for the film upon your conclusion if you're interested in further sleuthing of some of the hidden meanings.
This movie was over 2 hours but felt closer to 6 in parts. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but time felt different watching it. This leaves more of an impression than expected. Strong 7.3.
This started out okay and was a pretty easy watch for an hour. Shit gets ridiculous in the final third and the plot armour is difficult to forgive. Some hot bodies sure, but my goodness what an ending...
3.6
Absolutely loved the sound design. Very strong albeit deliberately paced opening 2/3rds and the final act is incredibly divisive. Worked in parts for me. Punches above its weight in a lot of ways. Overuse of strobe lights took me out of a lot of the ending; however. 6.1
I understand the lukewarm reviews on the whole. Personally, I didn't expect too much and was satisfied w the bulk of what was on offer here. I wanted a little fan service and some new blood elements. It's not perfect, but that's what I got. Some bad CGI in spots took me out of it a little, but overall it was decent enough. This is really Grace's movie and she performed well. 6.2.
Enjoyable and well acted retelling of the story. Tendies all day. Funny and sobering at the same time. 7.4
Wanted to like this more than I did. Enjoyed the first one, so had moderately high hopes. Just felt stuck in the mud and despite all that was going on it was dull. There were redeeming aspects, so not a total failure, but a minor disappointment. All that said, it was nice to see the Amell bros make another one. 5.3.
Been almost 20 yrs since I first saw this. Was fun to McAdams, Murphy and Cox two decades younger, but this one misses more than it hits. I still was entertained for the most part, but I kept eye rolling harder and harder as we progressed. A generous 5.9 for the decent acting. The script was pretty mediocre.
Cinematography, and sound design were fantastic. It's difficult to give a mini review without some level of spoiler. Disturbing and hilarious. Will be divisive for certain. 7.3.
It's difficult to critique a story like this. A harrowing and heart breaking, but also awe inspiring tale of friendship and survival. I remember seeing "Alive" during a grade 7 movie viewing. We chose it as a class with our teacher's permission and she was soon mortified at the graphic details our 12 yr old selves were subjected to. Fast forward 30 years and I'm watching the same story, but told quite differently. This version by Bayona chooses a more deliberate pace and emotional core. 8.0
Watched the og last night and it although it was better this does have some decent moments. Gyllenhaal is absolutely slumming it here, but has fun with it and elevates what could have been a far worse production. I enjoyed some aspects of the fight scenes, but wasn't digging the strange CGI videogame mode they went into at times. As a McGregor fan on his come up in the UFC it was fun to see him make his debut. He played the psycho baddie pretty well all things considered. Fun, b movie 6.4.
Had to pop this on before the reboot launches at midnight. I thought I'd seen this growing up but there's a ton I forgot about. Some of the absolute worst fights you'll ever see, but charmingly so. Elliott and Swayze's bromance is top tier and Doc is smokin'. Also features one of the more hilariously feeble looking final bosses you'll ever see. Still, a riot in many parts. Cheese like you wouldn't believe abound. 7.0
TBN & Dorff are great here. A real meat and potatoes slice of "western" life at the turn of the 20th century. Great acting w a tiny budget from the two main leads. The son was a bit of a miss for me, but small gripe. Competently made and told. 7.0
Target demo will be for those younger than us, but this had its moments. Some asinine, some well executed. On the whole it felt a bit more cringe than not, but I appreciate the intent and it looked like everyone involved had fun making it. The 80s style is what drew us to this one, and the sets, music, and colour palates used were fun. Good editing and decision on overall length as well. 5.9
Started out solid, so I had a feeling a startling drop off would occur. Did it ever. From decent suspense and foreboding to start to complete inadvertent parody. Barely bothered to watch the last bit. 3.7
Finally decided to sit down for this one. Watched on an OLED which Dolby vision which makes a big difference for this type of movie. Great sound design and spectacular visuals with a pretty breakneck pace for the final hour. This helps keep focus on a story that otherwise is pretty by the numbers. I cared for the animals more than the rest. A very impressive technical masterpiece, the story just doesn't keep pace, but still an emotional and rewarding story. 7.9.
Cena is the star here, and some of the jokes land well, but when they started getting into after school special emotions they lost me. 5.3
Saw in IMAX. A grand spectacle deserving of the big screen experience. Outstanding scale and breadth. Chalamet shines. Run, don't walk. 9.2
