rpotter1000

I was not prepared for how good this movie was going to be. Based on reviews and the trailers, I figured it would be a fine movie to sit through with my wife on our couch. Man, what does it take for a real movie that’s an actual piece of art to get some attention? First off, it’s fun, not a stuffy, pretentious period piece (though those can be great, too). But it’s not just frivolous fun. It’s interesting, deeply emotional fun, beautifully shot, performed, scored, everything. Also, it’s not afraid to be controversial. It doesn’t play it safe. It challenges your thoughts while stirring your feelings. I absolutely loved it. And it made me feel young again, with the youthful emotions it tapped into. Deep feelings after viewing. Wonderful surprise!

Lifelong SW fan, but haven’t been much into their content for the last decade or so. Definitely enjoyed first couple seasons of Mandalorian, but I can’t say I was excited for this movie, especially after middling reviews. Very happily surprised! Great Star Wars fun with enough of that special magic to justify a theatrical experience. I feel really good about Star Wars for the first time in a long time.

I don’t know if I should write a review since so many people seem to like this movie. Maybe it’s just me that thinks it was a boring, annoying slog through middle-aged who gives a sh-t Hell. It was so long. Two hours, but felt like three. It’s not like I was expecting a hilarious, action-packed movie. I went in looking for a quiet, intimate kind of thing. But my god, it was tedious. I was watching with my wife, so I stuck it out to the end trying not to squirm too much or show my annoyance in case she was enjoying it. (Turns out she kind of liked it. Didn’t love it, but enjoyed it. There you go: a bonus review in my review.)

Nice surprise! A little but if a toned down Statham movie, in a good way. Some might find it a little boring at times, since it allows itself to establish a world and for us to just be with the characters and care about them. Nice and moody. But it still delivers fun action. I liked how Statham was a little more vulnerable than typical, and with less bravado. The whole movie has a little more of a European sensibility to it, like an older, more mature version of some old school Statham. But again, it still has fun with some typical kick-ass action tropes. Great acting all around by the surrounding cast. Also, I like how the movie changes locations throughout, as we see the environments slowly getting a little bigger and more fun as action sets. The whole thing felt grounded and gritty, which I love. And even though it's not sappy, it got quite emotional a couple times, even during the action.

It’s a real movie. I don’t feel like I see many real movies anymore. Visually striking, somewhat Kubrick-esque, I’d say. Strange movie, for sure, but also really grounded storytelling, not too artsy or confusing. All great performances, beautiful music, all that. Funny but not a comedy. Visceral, thought-provoking, meaty. I’m sure many people would ultimately think it’s a little too weird for their tastes, but again it’s not too artsy or pretentious. I loved it, and it really stays with you if it strikes you right.

I was a mega-fan back in the early 90s and then when they did the Break Like the the Wind album and tour. This movie was I suppose likable enough, and it gave me and my friends a few laughs. But it is really understated and just too many years too late. It seems to exist simply for Spinal Tap to nostalgically do one more thing without trying too hard. Really, they're just too old, and they know it. Hell, I'M too old, too. Anyway, I still greatly appreciate all they've done to entertain me and make me laugh over the years.

I enjoyed it. Not sure it has much reason to exist other than to reset after the terrible Dominion. Johannson was fun to watch. So was Ali. Rest of characters were fine. No real Spielbergian magic, but it’s a solid enough Dino adventure.

Crazy experience. Weird in really good ways. Bold, fun movie that really gets in your psyche and stays with you after it’s over. I will say, some might think it’s heavy-handed social commentary. I could see that, and if that’s the lens through which you look at it, I’d say the movie isn’t as good. But if instead you just go for the ride with these characters, it’s truly great.

I understand if it doesn’t work for some. It’s weird, that’s for sure. I loved the first Joker and thought it was not a movie that should even have a sequel, but I like what they did with this. It has depth and strength of storytelling, and it found a way to make it interesting to watch Arthur continue his development as a character. Harley/Gaga fits perfectly in the world and helps add emotional depth and stakes to everything. The music worked for me also. It’s not just a gimmick. It’s important to the storytelling. It’s left me with some feelings and a lot to think about afterward, just like the first one did. It's not as good as the first Joker, but it's an interesting extension to it.Maybe it can’t recover from all the negative reviews, but I suspect it will be looked at more fondly by many with time. Eventually, I hope

Completely forgettable but moderately enjoyable. Keaton is still fun in the role. It’s difficult to make a sequel to a movie like Beetlejuice. It was a movie of its time, but still, I was a little surprised by how lifeless it felt. I also realized while watching it how much of the charm of the original came from Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis. Feels a little empty without them. Justin Theroux (I’m assuming I’m spelling his name right) plays the best new character. He’s genuinely funny—though I found nothing in the movie to be laugh-out-loud funny beyond some chuckles. All three of us who saw it together expressed the sentiment after: it could have been a lot worse!

Not that great, but I enjoyed it. It starts off excellent. Establishing the world and characters promised a better movie than it turned out to be. Basically, once the actual alien action starts, the movie goes down in quality. It actually kind of feels like an Alien tribute movie from there. It has some fun gimmicks and good characters, mostly great effects and visuals, but there’s just something missing. And too many call-backs to the other movies kept reminding me that this movie wasn’t as good as the movies it was referencing. Also, the movie isn’t really scary in the way the trailer made it seem. Some people might think that’s a good thing if they’re not so much into horror. I’m fine either way. Just pointing it out.

Given that Last Crusade should have been the ending of the series, this one at least improves upon Crystal Skull as a final outing. A lot doesn’t totally work. It’s long and needs some tightening up and has too many chase scenes. Some of the dialogue and more emotional scenes are good but feel slightly off. Nevertheless it’s really enjoyable (in a way that Crystal Skull was not). The new characters work on the whole. The whole movie is not quite the nostalgia fest that the trailer suggested (though there’s a little bit of that). Seeing Indy as an old man in the late 60s is probably my favorite part. A bit ****. One good thing going for it is when it’s over it leaves you thinking about it for a while, even if you’re not sure how much you liked it.

I’m late to the the “retired Liam Neeson with skills” movie genre, but I’m finally trying to get caught up. (This is my second one. I just watched a Walk among the Tombstones, which was also good, but that was more of a more grounded psychological thriller.) Commuter was a really good time. I could see some people being thrown off by it because it starts off like an actually good movie, and then it kind of gets sillier and more ridiculous and becomes a bit of a howl at the screen kind of ridiculous fun action movie. If that’s your kind of thing, then the Commuter is really good. Just a very minor spoiler: it’s not like a Jason Statham movie. Liam’s character is not a highly skilled former navy seal or assassin or something. Just a cop who can hold his own. Still the action and the fighting are fun.

(No spoilers) I understand if this isn’t what a lot of fans were looking for, but as a lifelong fan who’s seen, honestly, too many Michael versus Laurie movies now, I really enjoyed being surprised by a different kind of story. I loved the new character and really enjoyed how Michael and Laurie had their parts to play. I have a few small complaints that I’ll leave out to avoid spoiling anything, but I think it’s a good ending and gave a fresh thrill to the franchise for me.

I’ve enjoyed all the Jurassic movies, but this one by far the least. Though it was fun to see the classic characters and a couple good new ones, it was just strange storytelling that didn’t work at all. I was bored even when the intense action scenes came along, partly because of the bad storytelling, but also because the action scenes themselves had a strange removed quality to them with endless ridiculous and extreme occurrences with no stakes or sense of peril to the main characters. The whole movie felt like a big mess. Reminded me of the feelings I had watching Rise of Skywalker as far as weird, lifeless storytelling trying to close out an epic blockbuster franchise.

Underrated movie, but I think understand why. It’s a little strange, and it’s sort of two different movies in roughly the first and second halves. But it worked for me. It has some striking atmosphere and kind of old-fashioned classic movie elements that I liked, but it has good dumb fun too, and enough typical Jurassic franchise styling to feel like it fits as a sequel.

Really good time. Silly fun but with enough darkness and emotion to keep it from feeling too frivolous. Amazing fight and action choreography. All characters were wonderfully cast and portrayed.

Pretty much the same as the first one, but that’s a good thing. Great family fun. Perfect balance of silliness, action, and heart. Glover and Devito are a welcome addition.

About as good as can be expected for what was arguably an obligatory sequel to something as special as the first Frozen. The filmmakers and songwriters obviously put their hearts into making something that had its own kind of magic while recapturing a lot of what worked in the first one.

Really good time, excellent characters and story. Not as stylized as the trailers suggested (a good thing), but it still has a slightly elevated kind of classic yet modern whodunnit fun.

I’m a lifelong fan who was there as a little kid in 1977. I love Star Wars, but every single movie has things to love and things to complain about, and I’m fine with that. It’s about the spirit and the characters. There’s plenty of good stuff in Rise of Skywalker, too, but I’ve never felt such emptiness from any of the movies. This felt like it was somehow both trying too hard and phoning it in at the same time. I like the three main heroes from the new trilogy, and Kylo, and I still love and care about Rey, but their journeys felt perfunctory and predictable here. And the story, almost everything is either over-explained or under-explained. The scale was overly epic but without making me believe in it or care about what’s happening—kind of like the worst of modern comic book movies. The opening crawl was great and got me excited, but it really was almost immediately downhill from there for me. There’s too much fan service and too little storytelling that actually makes a viewer care. In the end, it made this final trilogy feel completely unnecessary (with the exception of introducing Rey and Kylo). It’s the first Star Wars that I have no desire to see more than once.

I picked this randomly on Netflix thinking I’d just fall asleep and forget about it. Stayed up till the middle of the night riveted! Excellent thriller. Hollywood-level production, direction, and acting, but with a nice slightly different storytelling feel. Loved the moodiness. Shocking and unsettling at times but not in cheap, showy ways like many dumbed down mainstream thrillers. But also not a boring art film by any means. Still should work for fans of typical serial killer psychological thrillers who wouldn’t think to watch a random Korean Netflix movie with subtitles. Many unexpectedly emotional moments. Really pays off with a great climax and ending.