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Reviews
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
One of the best MCU movies so far.
Out of all the series in the MCU, Guardians of the Galaxy is one of my favorites. I love James Gunn's style and sense of direction. His anarchistic humor and sense of sensitivity for this group of misfits always worked for me. This film balances out the comedy, drama, and action probably the best out of its trilogy. I love how in each installment, these characters really grow and have their own arcs. Nothing really returns to the status quo for these guys and no more is that ever evident then in this movie.
The action is the best it's ever been, aside from one scene that I'll get to later. I love the found family dynamic at play here, even more so now that the gang are all very much familiar with each other. The chemistry is stellar owing in part because of the stellar cast.
I will say though, despite the fact that the villain is an interesting play on the classic mad scientist archetype, he isn't all that interesting. Still one of the MCU's better villains, but that's honestly not saying much. The final battle with him honestly was disappointing to me, though it did give plenty of catharsis for our heroes so it evens out a guess. Well at least the effects departments got really creative with his creations.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a fantastic summer blockbuster! One of the best MCU movies yet! It may not be perfect, but it's a movie that knows what it wants to be. To me you can't get any more perfect than that.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
They should call it Dungeons and Dragons the good one
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves captures the spirit of the tabletop role playing game perfectly. If you are familiar with Critical Role it's basically the family friendly version of that. Otherwise think of this movie as the high fantasy version of Guardians of the Galaxy. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie from start to finish. That might not be a surprise, but just remember this could have gone so wrong. Anybody remember the first attempt at a DND movie back in 2000? Anyways, back on topic.
It's a straightforward fantasy adventure that while not trying to break new ground, executes itself near perfectly. The cast has amazing chemistry with each other & are a lot of fun to watch. Hugh Grant hams it up as the back stabbing con man. Chris Pine is as charming as you'd expect a character like this, which is all the more complimented by Michelle Rodriguez tough gal persona.
The elements like game mechanics from the game are brought to life here while taking liberties when necessary. Plenty of interesting shots and action set pieces. I especially appreciate the utilization of practical effects alongside computer generated ones.
Yeah so as you can imagine I loved this movie. It's not Lord of the Rings, but it'll scratch the itch. A simple yet fun flick that was clearly made with enthusiasm for the material. A near perfect film adaptation of the source material. This is a must see in theaters.
Fear (2023)
Terrifyingly bad
A group of friends rent out a lodge in the middle of the woods to hangout. Little do they know they will all have to face their greatest fears. If they can't overcome them their souls will be gone forever, consumed by fear.
Should I even bother putting any effort into this review since the filmmakers clearly didn't put any effort into the film? I mean the title is fear. A like wow it's gonna be about scary stuff.
It's not just the title. The script feels like they wrote it over the weekend and didn't read it over. It's so lazy and full of contrivances, dangling treads, poorly written characters who's motivations are not clearly defined who come off both annoying and dull at the same time. Like it's hilarious how bad it is.
The only thing more hilariously bad is the performances. I'm pretty sure most of these guys have never done thus before. Well there not true, but you could have fooled me. I laughed out loud at most of the line deliveries here. And the visual effects are just awful. Like it just looks messy and unfinished. Probably explains why so many of the kills are lame as hell. Most of them are off screen and nothing you haven't seen before. Kind of like this movie.
I'll say this about Fear, it's unique that so many things could go this wrong all in one movie. I think I owe Skinamarink an apology. At least that film was experimental and ambitious while also have some good scares. Fear honestly isn't that scary. It's loud and obnoxious. In fact, other words I'd use to describe this movie are dull, stupid, and uninspired. I'm not afraid to say Fear is a frighteningly terrible movie. Don't be afraid and feel like you're missing out by not seeing it. Alright I'm done no more puns I'm afraid. Review over! Don't watch Fear.
Candyman (2021)
More of this please!
"Say his name. I dare you." The modern American boogieman, Candyman is back. I loved the original and was excited to see what they did with this "reboot". So how does this version fair?
The new Candyman follows a struggling artist, Anthony McCoy, who becomes intrigued by a ghastly urban legend. The story goes a black man was beaten to death by law enforcement for the crime of giving kids candy with razor blades in them. Couple of days later, they find more razor blades in candy revealing his innocence. Though the legend doesn't stop there. If you wish to summon Candyman, all you need to do is look into a mirror and say his name five times. Inspired by this tale, Anthony creates an art display daring individuals to be his victim. However, it appears that by doing this, he's reawaken the legend as people start dying from murders resembling the infamous killings. Now Anthony dives further to discover more of the truth.
This movie is dark, thought provoking, and terrifying. It gets pretty gruesome too, nothing ridiculous or anything, but definitely some gross out stuff. Candyman ain't pulling no punches. What makes this movie so scary is more than just the music, sound design, editing, cinematography, lighting, and directing, but the very narrative itself.
It plays out sorta like an urban legend or a campfire story come to life, just like the first film. Also like the first film is just how American it is. Playing to fears rooted in issues that have been apart of this nation since it's inception. While it does update the themes for a modern audience, the message is all the same. It's sad, disturbing, horrifying, and tragic all at the same time.
I loved this movie if you couldn't tell. To me this is the best way to make a Candyman movie in this day an age. Is it as good as the original, no, but it's definitely the best horror to come out this year. Not gonna lie, might go back to the theaters to watch it like maybe five more times. Now please say his name with me...
Smile (2022)
Painful
Okay let's get this over with. So Rose is a psychologist who had a traumatic experience with her mother when she was a kid. Now after one of her patients kills herself right in front of Rose while creepily smiling, an evil entity latches on to her and torments her mind making her seem crazy. Now she has to figure out how to get rid of it or succumb to her demise.
You know I thought this was gonna be a stinker just from how obnoxious the marketing was. I swear I saw the trailers for this movie everywhere, posters all over the place, and those actors at baseball games creepily smiling at the cameras. I guess they really wanted you to immerse you in this movie and experience the horror of the protagonist felt. Well in a way I did get that feeling. This movie is a horrible movie and I'd like to be rid of its presence myself.
It's obnoxious in its execution of scares constantly using annoying musical cues for jump scares that are usually more goofy than frightening. And it hardly ever stops to give you a breath or give you something interesting in between the scares, like a good movie does. It's poorly written and half of the cast phones in their performances. The video editing and cinematography also follows the same points the sound editing and mixing. It's all just so obnoxious and uncomfortable. I honestly felt headaches and nausea half the time while watch this movie.
Is it ironic to say this movie doesn't bring a smile to my face? I feel like I'm gonna need a shrink after this so I can forget I ever saw this movie. I mean in all honesty I probably will forgettable it anyways. It's bad and forgettable, but when you watch it, you'd wish you never did. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. Maybe I can get the Salem Sisters to help me forget about Smile. Hocus Pocus anyone?
The Bob's Burgers Movie (2022)
I live for Bob's Burgers
Don't you just love it when your favorite shows make it to the big screen. Sure sometimes it can be a let down like when Avatar: The Last Air Bender did it, but Bob's Burgers leans closer to The Simpsons in terms of quality, though not as mind blowing. Which is the charm of the show. It's remarkably unremarkable, in a good way I promise. So how does the movie stack up with the show? Well keep reading to find out.
Once again we find the Belcher family in money trouble struggling to pay loans. When pipe explodes right outside Bob's restaurant and a dead body is found in the hole, customers stop showing up and their landlord is framed for the murder. Now Bob and Linda have to come up with the money to pay their loans while Louise, Gene, and Tina have to solve the murder mystery.
If your a fan of Bob's Burgers than you're gonna like this. The Belchers make a seamless transition onto the big screen. The humor is as good as it is on the show and the characters are just as lovable and relatable as ever.
Honestly there's not a lot to say. It's just a well executed animated comedy. Sometimes that's all you really need. So let's welcome Bob's Burgers to the big screen alongside Yogi Bear, SpongeBob SquarePants, and The Simpsons.
The Bubble (2022)
Looks like this bubble got burst
You know this movie at first sounds like a good idea. A comedy about making a movie while set during the pandemic. Honestly I'd like to see more movies set during this. I already find it interesting when you see someone wearing a mask in a movie. Unfortunately the movie it's isn't all that great. The jokes are mostly misses and despite the terrific cast, they really don't seem that into it. Though I'm not sure if that might be the point.
Honestly there are moments that made me wonder if this movie was aspiring to be the next The Room. There are some jokes that seem to be the movies way of making fun of itself, like they know they're making a bad movie and maybe if they make it known it's bad it ceases to be bad. Like I know being meta is a really popular thing right now, but it's actually really hard to do guys. First thing you should try to do is make a good movie before you do you're favorite 4th wall joke from Rick and Morty, Deadpool, Family Guy, Ryan Reynolds career now, or She-Hulk. Yeah she was doing 4th wall jokes before any of these guys. Look it up.
Anyways, there's nothing really much to say about The Bubble. It was a neat idea with a all star cast, but in the end no body brought their the wit or humor. Netflix has a lot of better options to choose from anyways. Maybe go watch Squid Games again.
Don't Worry Darling (2022)
Don't Worry Darling, it's not worth it.
The movie is pretty predictable, which honestly would have been fine if there is more to say. All the film has for its two hour runtime is build up to a "twist" mystery box finale that you can see a mile away. No interesting characters or themes to latch onto or even anything honestly. The conclusion is unsatisfying and leaves so many unanswered questions. I'm more surprised as to how barebones the ending is more than it's own reveal. To address the elephant in the room, it's pretty clear this film had a troubled production and the end product shows.
The only kind of saving grace is Florence Pugh, the movie's protagonist. Yeah she's not written well, but by god does she deliver a stellar performance. It almost feels like it went to waste for such a film. Honestly she's the only reason I held out hope for the movie as long as I did. Unfortunately, I don't think it's enough to safe this film.
Last Night in Soho (2021)
Edgar Wright's version of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining
The best horror movies are the ones that make you check your surroundings to make sure you feel safe. They also keep you coming back again and again despite the terror they invoke in you. Now this is a subjective condition, so not every scary movie will meet this criteria for you, but will do so for someone else. I say this because Last Night in Soho is one of those movies that terrifies me, but I can't help myself not to keep coming back to this movie. The movie I'm most reminded of when watching this movie is The Shining. But before I go on, it'll probably be easier to explain if we go over the plot first.
Thomasin McKenzie plays Eloise, an aspiring fashion designer, who's just started college in London. However, London is a seedy place, not for the faint of heart as Ellie soon learns. She seems to have a strong connection to spirits and the past as she's able to see her deceased mother and somehow can see visions of the past. In these visions she sees a wannabe singer named Sandie, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, work her way to stardom and a relationship with a man named Jack, played by former Doctor Who protagonist, Matt Smith. At first amused by the life this woman lived, trying to emulate it, she soon learns that the road to fame is often paved with the blood of sinners. Can Ellie solve what happened to Sandie and maintain her own sanity? Well you have to watch it if you want the answer to that.
If you're familiar with anything Edgar Wright has made, you'll know his movies are very stylized with cinematography and editing that alone are novel enough to recommend a movie, even use in a film class honestly. All comes with his amazing team and his unique and passionate method of directing. The shots whenever mirrors are involved are just incredible, I know how most films pull this trick off, but they really do push the techniques for it here. His writing here masterfully invokes the feeling of the 60's the way only someone with the love and care you have to have for that particular time. Which leads to one of the most important aspects of Last Night in Soho and why I compare this movie to The Shining.
Ellie, like Danny, appears to have a similar power to the shining that allows her to see spirits and visions of the past. London itself in the movie behaves almost like the Overlook Hotel, a place that feels almost alive and has evil spirits that never checked out. Actually some of the shots and cuts in this movie seem like they were imitating certain scenes from Stanley Kubrick's film. London itself also seems to be trapped in time, still moving forward, but never changing. While definitely a love letter to 1960's London, Edgar Wright knows just how to make even the most lively moments seem terrifying.
The cast also does a terrific job here. Sure Anya Taylor-Joy has been in some big stuff, like The Queen's Gambit and The Witch, but still to be this good and landing roles like this is simply impressive. Same could be said for Thomasin McKenzie who's only been in one big movie before this one, Jojo Rabbit, and now is the lead in an Edgar Wright film. Diana Rigg nails her performance here in her last role, after her passing in 2020, and while I haven't seen Doctor Who, I'm not surprised by the amazing work Matt Smith gives here. As for Terence Stamp, well he's great in everything he's in especially if you need him to be creepy and unsettling. The guy is a legend for a reason and you can expect to see that level of performance here.
I friggin had an awesome time watching this movie. The cast is terrific, the production is solid, probably one of Edgar Wright's best films, and legit perfect movie for October to get you in the spirit of Halloween. I've already seen it multiple times and I think I'll be watching it more times to come. I guess Soho is a place you don't ever quite leave, at least in this movie. Check out Last Night in Soho.