This is hands down one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I couldn't even finish it. Harmony Korine's vanity project has no script. The Beach Bum is meandering, pointless, filled with bad performances, and seems to have been made only to give the cast and crew an excuse to go on vacation in the Florida Keys and get high. I found this film to be painful to watch, and a huge, worthless waste of time. It's not even entertaining accidentally.
James's Cameron's The Abyss is an oft-overlooked sci-fi epic. It's incredibly inventive, and the brutal way in which this movie was filmed definitely adds to the constant atmosphere of tension the film portrays. This is a very stressful watch, made even more stressful with the knowledge of what Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrionomo, and the rest of the cast and crew had to endure to bring this story to life. This movie is DENSE. There are a lot of moving pieces, but everything gets tied up nicely at the end. It's a little long, a little dated, but it has its place in sci-fi movie history.
Evolution is pretty terrible. Some of the acting is atrocious. Orlando Jones plays a different character in every shot. The direction can't decide whether this is a comedy or a horror. The fact that there were four different writers vying for control of the script is very apparent. However, the creature effects are really cool and well done for 2001. This movie does have moments of brilliance, which make me want to seek out Don Jakoby's original script, which was written as a very serious sci-fi horror flick, instead of this overly long Head and Shoulders commercial.
Hobbs and Shaw is a dumb, but fun action movie. Not everything works. Some of the jokes don't land. Some of the action does look corny. In spite of the flaws, its a good popcorn movie to turn your brain off to. I enjoyed the performances of Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, and Idris Elba, but Vanessa Kirby really stood out a cut above the rest of the cast. If you're a die hard Fast and Furious fan, you will like this movie.
A hysterical animated musical that holds up incredibly well. It's funny. It's entertaining. The music is great. Trey Parker and Matt Stone have a lot of talent, and this movie helped cement South Park as part of the cultural zeitgest. Fans of animation, South Park fans, Book of Mormon fans, and fans of comedy in general are going to find a lot to enjoy here. Some of the jokes are incredibly edgy by today's standards, but that's kind of the point.
Is The Hunt a perfect movie? No. The Hunt is, however, a political satire done well. This movie makes fun of a lot of issues all across the political spectrum that are sure to delight and offend all who watch it. The cast is really charming, particularly Betty Gilpin. The story is engaging, even though I think it has a bit too many moving parts. The highlight of this movie is the action sequences. The finale in particular is really well executed. This is a movie I think everyone should check out, just for the themes and violence if nothing else!
A cult kids sci-fi movie, Zathura is filled with wacky B-movie fun. It really is a space version of Jumanji, but it is really enjoyable in its own right. It's not half bad! There are a lot of great actors in this movie. It's a wild watch for sure.
Underwhelming and extremely polarizing, Prometheus is a movie that will be remembered more for its ideas than its execution of them. Its special effects and acting performances are great. It's a solid movie that introduces a lot of problematic elements into the Alien franchise. It is not a terrible movie. For me, its a popcorn movie that you can turn your brain off to and enjoy without thinking too hard.
The newest adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel "Emma" doesn't really add anything new to the table. Still, it looks nice and has a pleasant cast. The production design is really the strong point of this movie, as I felt a lot of the nuances of Jane Austen's original work were brushed over to make this movie more marketable.
I hated this movie. It's overly long, overly melodramatic, overly flashy, and overstays its welcome. It's also surprisingly lazy. It's a chore to watch, but I did appreciate the themes the script presented. There are many films out there that tell the story of NAFTA-influenced corruption out there than this one.
All at once dreamlike and nightmarish, The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a film I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would. I can see why this movie won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. It's incredibly well made. I've seen a few films about life at gay conversion therapy camps, most notably "Boy Erased" and I liked this movie way better. In Boy Erased, the staff at the camp felt like mustache-twirling villains. In Cameron Post, the staff at the camp and all of the adults in the film truly believed they were doing the right thing, but they were miseducated as well. The best thing about Cameron Post is that it really understands the culture of misinformation that allows gay therapy camps to thrive. Everyone thinks they are doing the right thing, but at the end of the day, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and the camp does more harm then good. I really liked that the teenaged characters at the camp were rebellious. It felt way more realistic than everyone meekly submitting to the conversion therapy. The acting was top notch, and Chloe Grace Moretz and Sasha Lane were fantastic. My biggest problems with this film were that the dream sequences felt a little too gratuitous at times, and the pacing in this movie is just laborious. However, the slow pacing helps the ending feel really hopeful and well-earned. This is a movie that is well worth checking out if you are interested.
Body Heat is a wonderfully directed, beautifully shot film noir. It is incredibly engaging, and a little bit campy, but man was this fun and engaging to watch. The acting is superb, and Lawrence Kasdan creates a very dreamy, very sexy atmosphere that permeates every inch of the screen. This is a great movie that holds up pretty well!
I really enjoyed this period-piece thriller. Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain give a masterclass on acting in this gut-wrenching drama. The color palette and direction are just completely hypnotic. This is a great movie for fans of peerless acting performances!
Her Smell is a fantastic character study led by Elisabeth Moss in a tour-de-force performance. She bleeds through every frame she's in, and is absolutely mesmerizing to watch. This movie does an excellent job of making you feel real empathy for a self-destructive, spoiled, selfish, and extremely damaged person. Her Smell runs at about two and a half hours, and I felt every single minute of that runtime. If that's not something you gel with, you probably won't like this movie. Also, I feel like Her Smell would have been MUCH better as a play! It's a perfect stage drama, and something you might see at Steppenwolf in Chicago or on Off-Broadway. If you love character driven dramas, or stories of rockstars going through mental breakdowns (ala The Doors) or if you are just a big Elisabeth Moss fan, you need to see this movie.
I found Real Women Have Curves to be a really nice, positive film about feminism. It's more than that though. Its a great movie about body positivity. American Ferrera is absolutely darling in this role. Her mother, played by Lupe Ontiveros, is one of the most evil characters I've ever seen in film, and watching her get her comeuppance is super satisfying. The movie feels a little dated, and some scenes really drag, but its a really good watch!
Its crazy that this movie is 10 years old. For better and for worse, it definitely reshaped the face of animated film all through the 2010s. This movie's animation hasn't aged super well, but it is well written, charming, entertaining, and it knows when to not be annoying. Its a great family film, and I think it's earned its place in children's movie history.
Sonic the Hedgehog was a surprisingly well made kids movie. It was fun to watch, even as an adult! Jim Carrey is above and away the best part of the movie, and I got major Ace Ventura vibes from his performance as Dr. Robotnik. I really have to give credit to the studio for improving Sonic's CGI appearance. Its not the best thing in the world, but I really think this was an entertaining movie.
Wow. Wow. Wow. This is a movie made by the same team who made "Truth or Dare" and I didn't think they could make something that was WORSE. Oh my, this movie might be the laugh-out-loud- so bad it's good comedy of the year, if it didn't overly explain every single thing that happens on screen. The ending is stupid and the twist doesn't make sense, even with the gratuitous exposition. You can see the scares coming from a mile away. This was not good at all.
I remember how big the Scott Pilgrim series was, and how well it captured the early 2000s nerd zeitgeist. I remember how popular this movie was, and how it was viewed as such a great springboard into the graphic novels. I also remember how Scott Pilgrim underwent a critical re-evaluation where everyone distanced themselves from the franchise as a result the manic-pixie-dream-girl archetype coming under well deserved scrutiny. Ramona Flowers is the peak manic-pixie-dream-girl and you're lying to yourself if she's not. People argued that this movie romanticized the toxic behavior of putting someone on a pedestal, and people really straight up abandoned Scott Pilgrim over this. They may have been right. Now that the critical controversy has died down, does this movie hold up? I think it does. Its ironic because the whole movie is about Scott learning to NOT put Ramona on a pedestal and to actually treat her as a person. The movie is funny and heartfelt. The effects, performances, and gags are great. Edgar Wright really elevated this movie into something great. Definitely check this one out.
Russian Ark is simply unforgettable. Thats a bold word to use for a post-modern experimental art film about Russia, but man is it an apt word. The technological achievements of a 90 minute one shot take are breathtaking to behold. The imagery is powerful and somehow manages to capture the soul of a nation through its death and rebirth. The acting is a little off at times, but everything else more than makes up for it. If you like experimental movies, this is a must-see. If you've never seen an experimental international film before, this is a great place to start.
It is commonly debated in film circles as to why the most financially successful movie of all time had so little cultural impact. The reason is simply that despite awe-inspiring, jaw dropping special effects, the screenplay of Avatar is completely unoriginal, and it hasn't aged well at all. It's the story of Dances With Wolves or Pocahontas or Fern Gully in space. That said, I still find this movie to be very enjoyable to watch, even if it is very simplistic.
The Turning isn't so much bold as it is boring and predictable. There are so many better horror movies out there that aren't cliche and are actually scary. I've heard rumors that this movie has been stuck in development hell for a while, and I can't help but wonder if they are true. Its not the worst horror movie I've ever seen, but its an unforgivable waste of time.
While slow and confusing at times, Horse Girl is an absolutely enthralling look at mental illness with some Donnie Darko elements thrown in. The story is really well told and gripping, and Alison Brie is absolutely fantastic. The movie is a puzzle box, a cry for help, and really well worth a watch. It might not be for everyone, but if you like an emotional journey with a healthy dose of ambiguity, you'll really like this one.
I hated Suicide Squad, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I found myself enjoying Birds of Prey. However, the movie is not without its problems. If you go into this movie thinking its the best DC movie of all time, you are going to be sorely disappointed. While I did thoroughly enjoy the performances of Margot Robbie and Ewan McGregor, the writing of Birds of Prey leaves a LOT to be desired. It's 2020 and DC has yet to figure out how to write a good story! The story structure borrows way too heavily from Deadpool, and honestly, the constant 4th wall breaking and narration got to be grating. The Birds of Prey are really empty characters, and I feel like I learned nothing about who they are as people. The best part of the plot was seeing Harley Quinn post breakup. The whole story about the diamond macguffin thing was really stupid, and I couldn't care less about it. The action and direction is pretty fun. I can't lie, I found a lot of that to be really enjoyable. I also really liked how they didn't shy away from how violent a lot of the characters are, especially Harley Quinn herself. This isn't a movie I think I will ever willingly seek out again, but I would be lying if I said I hated the entire thing.
This movie is one of the most powerful, shocking, realistic movies I've ever seen. It also somehow pulls off the impossible task of making a well-rounded argument about abortion without getting too political. That probably sounds insane, but I swear it's true. If you are anti-abortion, you might leave this film with the belief that we need to legalize it completely. If you are pro-abortion, you will definitely find yourself second-guessing your beliefs, because this movie does revel in some gruesome imagery. The color scheme of 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days is stunning. The cinematography and direction is immaculate. The acting is really great, and really hard to watch. I don't know if I'll ever watch it again because its so upsetting, but I am really glad I watched it. It can be slow at times, and that's not always a good thing, but this is a must-watch movie. I'd put it up there with works like Schindler's List or Twelve Years a Slave.
Machete is dumb, but fun. Its unrelenting balancing act of being weird and sticking to a B-Grindhouse-movie structure threw me for a loop, but I can see why a lot of people love this movie. It's certainly unforgettable.
Without a doubt the quintessential French arthouse flick, Amelie is probably one of the most visually captivating movies I have ever seen. The story is funny, sad, and beautiful. Its a movie filled with hope and goodwill, and a lot of loving of all different kinds. Its quiet, enthralling, and unforgettable, much like the protagonist herself! There are definitely some strange choices that may turn off a casual viewer, but this movie deserves all of the hype it gets.
This is a fantastic children's movie. It's not quite as good as the first one, but its charming, well-made, and really fun to watch. This is a movie I'll be showing my kids!
A little odd, like the title suggests, but this is ultimately a very inoffensive movie. Its an okay watch, and has a lot of good themes about helping other humans and helping the environment. A lot of the movie feels slapped together, and not very well thought out, but I enjoyed it just the same.
Superbad is a phenomenal coming-of-age comedy, and one that is really heartfelt as well. The movie has aged incredibly well, and is endlessly quotable. There are some really slow sections of the movie that hold it back from being a higher score, but one thing I really do appreciate about this movie is that it follows the old school comedy rule of saving the funniest moments for the end of the movie. The final ending is very poignant, and one I won't soon forget.
Big Fish is Tim Burton's masterpiece. It's one of my favorite movies, and it makes me cry every time I watch it. It's beautiful, it's unique, its heartwarming, its moving, and it nails the aesthetic of an American Tall Tale. You will never forget this movie. Go watch it!
Now this is one of the best satires I have ever seen. Black Dynamite is a brilliant take down of blaxploitation movies. Its hilarious from beginning to end. It's endlessly fun, and easily worth a watch.
A really fun, coming of age comedy that is quirky, kooky, and utterly original. Some of the jokes start to grate after a while, but ultimately the whole product of the movie is better than the sum of its parts. If you like movies like Anchorman or Superbad, you will love Hot Rod!
Not only is this movie predictable, boring, and a color-by-numbers haunted house horror, its weird. This movie revels in its horror, and not in a good way. Its somehow both so checked out and so overly invested. It kind of reminds of The Room in a way. This is a really disappointingly awful entry into The Conjuring Cinematic Universe.
The **** conclusion to The Three Cornettos Trilogy is nowhere near as good as its predecessors. While its easily the weakest film of the three, it still is very enjoyable to watch, and has a lot of good humorous moments. Of Edgar Wright's famous trilogy, it nails the shared theme of the dangers of perpetual adolescence the best. However, something about it just feels lazy, though, as if the camerawork and soundtrack and character-development aren't as present as in the Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz. Still, its a good, memorable movie, even if its not the alien invasion plot that is memorable.
This is truly one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Its overlong. Its unfunny. Its cringy, boring, and poorly made. It is less than being un-entertaining, it is a waste of time and offensive. Don't let the names of the cast fool you into thinking this is good.
Hilarious, intelligent, and filled with action-packed fun, Hot Fuzz is one of the most memorable movies I have ever seen. Every time I come back to it, I find new things to laugh at. Its rare when you find a comedy that is this layered!
The most memorable zombie comedy to date, Shaun of the Dead is just as good now as when it came out 16 years ago. As the first entry in Edgar Wright's Three Cornettos trilogy, it establishes a lot of ideas and elements that carry through all three films. The movie is thought provoking, sad when it needs to be sad, funny when it needs to be funny, and gory when it needs to be gory. There are a few slow scenes in the film, but this is a must-see for any zombie or comedy fan.
The Shining is one of the most recognizable, timeless, and iconic horror masterpieces that has ever been filmed. It absolutely deserves its place in history. This is just a really scary, really enjoyable movie. Its really well made, and the atmosphere and tension driven by the psychological horror is just pure Kubrik. This is a Halloween must-watch.
Stanley Kubrick has made a lot of great, mind bending, and timeless movies, but this one might just be his masterpiece. The twisted, sexually charged, not-so-distant future of England creates a world where evil runs amok. Yet in this dark world, where the protagonist of the movie (Alex) is one of the most vile, reprehensible people imaginable, Stanley Kubrick sets out with the herculean task of daring the audience to feel sorry for Alex. What's even crazier is that he succeeds! In spite of the gruesome murders and horrific **** that fill the first act, I always find the second to third act of the movie where Alex has been brainwashed and is helpless the most harrowing part of the movie to watch. This film dares to argue that taking away an evil person's free will is more cruel than letting them commit evil freely. Without free will, good and evil are meaningless. This is a difficult and uncomfortable film to watch, but it is a necessary watch, and its one of my favorites.
To this day, 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the most inventive, original, and though provoking movies that has ever been made. The visual effects are mind-boggling, and the story is simple and open to interpretation. Whenever I watch this movie, I always wonder what the original audiences thought of it, and if they knew how pervasive and long lasting the piece of art that is this movie would persist? Definitely one of the best science fiction movies ever created.
Early 2000s CGI schlock at its absolute worst. This movie is almost unwatchable. It honestly gives me a headache. You can turn your brain off and get some enjoyment out of it. Overall though, I think Mary Shelley would be spinning in her grave if she knew this existed.
A lot of people have the tendency to compare Cuck to Joker. It deals with similar themes, and was even released on the same weekend as the 2019 take on the comic book villain. However, this movie is a very poorly done Joker. First off, the protagonists descent into the alt right makes very little sense. His "descent" into cuckoldry and ridicule by his own audience makes even less sense. This story is just being politically decisive solely to be politically decisive. The camera work is shoddy, and the direction and focus of the movie is completely lazy. The acting is fine, but I feel a lot of the actors are miscast. This is an okay movie if you want a laugh. If you're really interested in this movie, I'd advise you to see Joker instead. I'd be worried if you genuinely, non-ironically love this film.
Reality Bites is an interesting film. It's almost more of a time capsule of zeitgeist than a movie! I don't think I've ever seen anything nail the grungy, early 1990s views of Generation X more perfectly. Ben Stiller is a surprisingly competent director, and the performances of Ethan Hawke and Winona Ryder are top notch. There are some really dated elements to this movie, and there are several pacing and storytelling issues that hold it back from it's full potential, but if you are interested in any of these artists or the mentality of young people in the early 1990s, you got to give this one a watch!
Bug is a movie that was criminally mis-advertised when it was first released almost 15 years ago. This is not a horror movie. This is an incredibly well written, directed, and acted psychological thriller about schizophrenia and what is real and what isn't. Even by the end of the movie, I couldn't tell you what actually happened and what didn't. William Friedkin's direction is claustrophobic and tense. Tracy Letts' script is powerful and riveting. The performances of Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon are iconic. If you like thrillers or journeys through the psyche of characters, you will probably really like this film!
Under-developed and under-explored, Yesterday takes an amazing premise and turns it into a color-by-numbers romantic drama. What's upsetting to me is that this movie could have been GREAT. The idea that one man can remember The Beatles music and run with it presents so many cool possibilities that the story completely ignores in favor of some really uncomfortably awkward fling. The performances are okay. The story really misunderstands the concept of music, and acts like the songs are good enough to stand on their own without an extremely charismatic performer. The direction is really bland, but does have a stylistic flair that appears out of nowhere for one or two scenes. Overall, this movie is just kind of "meh."
American Woman is a moving drama that follows a woman living in an American small town for over ten years. Specifically, it follows her from the day she moves into a house with her teenage daughter and grandson, to the day she moves out of the house over a decade later. Deb, our heroine, powerfully played by Sienna Miller, finds herself with a terrible hand in life. She has been dealt this hand by a mixture of fate and her own poor decisions. I really hated Deb at the beginning of the movie, but by the end, I couldn't help but empathize and even love her. The story, the visual themes and motiffs, and the direction are the highlights of this movie. The soundtrack and supporting cast kind of **** at times, but there is enough philosophical and dramatic meat here to really warrant a close watch, particularly if you are a fan of American drama.
Mrs. Doubtfire is without a doubt one of the funniest movies ever made, as well as possibly Robin Williams' finest performance. Every frame is dripping with humor and heart, and it doesn't shy away from the emotional weight and trauma that effects a family undergoing a divorce. Sally Field also gives an incredibly underrated performance that is one of the most dynamic I have seen on the screen in a long time. Robin Williams is hilarious, absurd, crazy for his kids, and deeply vulnerable. The insanity of his plan to dress up as a 60+ year old woman his ex-wife hires as a housekeeper is hysterical. The balancing act the movie undertakes of managing all the spinning plates of a single father, a professional trying to make it in television, and a nanny is such a wonderful sight to behold. This movie is heartwarming and melancholy all at once. You're missing out if you haven't seen it.
