Bruceiscontent

The ending doesn't quite stick the landing, but the filmmaking chops and commitment from the actors is reason enough to see it. It's a better film than quite a few of last years Oscar noms.

I don't know why the director of Kingsman (objectively one of the **** franchises of all time) is continuously allowed to make garbage movies.

This is a movie that criticizes the trend of black media that is made solely for the purpose of pandering to guilt stricken white folks, who then shower said media with undeserved awards and praise for being “real” / “authentic.” And it does that by offering a movie that is purely for the entertainment of those exact same white people. It’s a real shame too, because there’s moments where American Fiction approaches a great comedy. Unfortunately, it never sticks the landing. Monk is an unlikable character who loves his family, but treats everyone else like ****. Along with embodying every awful stereotype of a writer in film, he is condescending and pompous. I’m baffled that people seem to think Wright deserves an Oscar nomination for this. The always brilliant Sterling K. Brown is the only shining light in this mess, and I would love to see HIM recognized. And for all that build up, how does it end? With the character succumbing to abandoning his morals in order to profit. It’s a real shame. They had a brilliant premise and completely **** the bed.

This is a new low for Pixar, honestly. I don't mind movies with "woke" themes. However, I do mind when the entire film is nothing but a vehicle for those themes, with no real substance or actual heart. The whole thing feels shallow. Technically, I don't understand what the hell is going on with this movie either. The animation is so ridiculously sharp that there's never any contrast between the backgrounds and foregrounds. It hurt my eyes to even watch it. In line with the strange trajectory of animated films creating unlikable protagonists, the main character is annoying as all hell. I'm also not sure what the message is supposed to be here: Is it about girls reaching adulthood? Is it a commentary about Tiger Parenting? It honestly doesn't matter, because the movie did nothing to make me care either way. I'd skip this one unless you have small children who would appreciate the vibrant colors and sensory overload animation style. But even they might find this disappointing.

The Card Counter is essentially another First Reformed, but without any of the qualities that made the latter brilliant. Isaac is good, but the plot is so contrived that his performance feels wasted. I’m not buying Haddish as the love interest either. They don’t have nearly enough chemistry, and her playfulness comes across as jarring next to Isaac, who is doing his best brooding Joaquin Phoenix impression. Willem Dafoe, who could’ve brought some much needed color to the film, appears on screen for barely five minutes of the excruciatingly paced runtime. By the way, this movie is an absolute SLOG. I appreciate the symbolism, the social commentary, and all that jazz, but it’s just not interesting to watch. It’s almost like Isaac exists within a different film, while everything else around him struggles to keep up. When it does pick up, there’s a handful of striking scenes and then it just ends. While there’s some shock value in the final stretch, it doesn’t make up for the snail’s pace of the first hour. I can’t imagine anyone “enjoying” The Card Counter unless you like your movies immensely allegorical and boring.

Great cast, wrong director. The constant frenetic pace and CGI infused camera sweeps become exhausting after the first 10 minutes. And the movie is well over 2 hours long. The source material is a classic American novel that pays tribute to the Jazz Age in New York City, so why they felt the need to use modern hip-hop on the soundtrack, I have no idea. Even the otherwise beautiful art direction is compromised by the incessant manner in which the director cuts, sweeps, and abruptly transitions in-between these cracked out sequences. It doesn't feel like a film at times; more like a music video on stimulants. There are some highlights, though. Sometimes the art stumbles upon a very well put together shot, and the lavishness of the sets comes across in spades. Leo, literally climbing uphill throughout this mess of a film, still manages to deliver a wonderfully nuanced performance as Gatsby; and things pick up considerably whenever he's on screen. If the film around him were better, it'd be an Oscar worthy turn. Unfortunately, it's one of those "Bohemian Rhapsody" type experiences: A wonderful lead performance constantly dragged down by the mediocrity of everything around else it, particularly the director's complete and total lack of restraint. Some magical moments, sure, but a slog to get through.

I liked it way more than I thought I would. McCarthy is the star of the show here, and I’m glad she was rewarded with an Oscar nomination for her performance. Thing is, the movie feels a little incomplete, like it was missing another large comedy bit or two. We get this large ensemble cast of really funny actors, but they aren’t utilized maybe as well as they could’ve been. That being said, it’s a really nice friendship film without being too saccharine about it.

I wasn't a fan of Eric Andre in the past, but I decided to give this a shot during a stoned Netflix stupor. I was pleasantly surprised. 'Bad Trip' falls in the same boat as Borat and Jackass (especially Borat), nailing a lot of the same beats: let's do some wild **** in public and play off the candid responses from the onlookers. In that sense, you've seen this sort of movie before. Maybe a few times. However, the chemistry between Andre and Lil Rey Howery is so damn natural that it elevates the material to cult status. There's quite a few laugh out loud moments, and Andre is incredibly likable as this everyman character who just wants to find love, but can't help accidentally destroying everything in his path to do it. Literally. There's also a strange sense of...dare I say...solidarity? And the good of people? We see a number of people show genuine concern and compassion for Andre's nutty ass, rather than simply writing him off as bat**** (although there's plenty of that, too). Honestly, I wish it were longer, with maybe a few more gags. That being said, I had a great time with it. It brightened up my day.