Trakt for iOS
Works on iPhone and iPad.
Definitely not bad but kinda overrated. The fact that it's an artistic drama movie isn't an excuse for it to get extremely boring at certain parts. Most people try to justify how unnecessarily long and boring it was by saying it's an artistic and symbolic movie and make you feel like you're the problem if you don't enjoy it. However, a movie is not a novel, it's visual and it's supposed to be appealing and it should keep the audiance interested no matter what genre it is. This movie can't really find the cinematic balance of being artistic and being entertaining at the same time. It could be much better if it did.
VIP8A brilliant concept that’s wasted by very weak acting, especially from Himesh Patel and Ed Sheeran. Moreover, it thinks it’s a lot funnier than it really is, doesn’t take the premise to its fullest extent, and has characters that are extremely dickish for no reason whatsoever.
4.5/10
I was expecting a different movie. Speculative fantasy maybe. The premise really sold Yesterday to me. Imagine that nobody in the world but you remembers The Beatles, and now you can become a best-selling artist singing their hit songs. Guaranteed success! How would that turn out? Instead, all I got was a cheesy romantic comedy, and not well-written one either. I lost it completely when Ellie told Jack to abandon the one dream he's ever had to be with her, and it was supposed to be his moment for a grand gesture. You'd never do that to the person you supposed to love! Jack is not an appealing leading character. He spends most of the movie sort of whining and having this aloof look on his face. His "girlfriend" is desperate and annoying, and is just not a good girlfriend on more than one occasion. His parents are dicks. Ed Sheeran's cameos were pretty cute, but no more than that. If you are okay with settling for just another mediocre romantic comedy, then you'll be okay with Yesterday. Music was the best part, duh.
I was greatly surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie. There was comedy, slight suspense and a very touching emotional scene. Glad I watched it. There was one fantastic, totally unexpected scene that actually shocked me and made my jaw drop in surprise!
Definitely underrated! It's way better than expected and gave me a fun and emotional movie to watch. I really liked the characters and their interaction, too!
Watching Ash is the Purest White is like being stuck on a cross country train ride. The views are often magnificent, but there's too much not enough, no matter how well it's presented.
Well, damn.The reviews for this were good, but even by keeping my expectations in check I still ended up disappointed.
It's really a kids' movie, and not a very good one at that. It's not, say, The Incredibles where you can indulge in the fantasy as an adult and stll enjoy it... It's the kind of kids' movie that condescends to its audience. The Wizard and the bad guys are just terrible, barely on the level of a Scooby-Doo villain, and the entire conflict at the heart of the movie makes no sense.
There's a bit of humor in having a teenager in an adult superhero body, but most of those jokes were shown in the trailer or don't amount to much more than predictable humor. Worst, there's no attempt at all by Levi to act as if he's Billy Batson in Shazam's body... The two characters may as well be completely different people. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle this ain't.
A hard pass as far as I'm concerned.
40 minutes!!! Forty minutes to introduce the main character. Am I the only one that think the adult guy's personality and the kid's aren't well matched. Low intelligence script, poor acting. In the positive side, good effects, three laughs... or maybe four. Disappointing.
much as I like Jessica Chastain this movie gets too slick for it's own good, the rapid smart-ass dialogue disappears up it's own asshole, digest it if you can .
When you write an epic poem on a postcard...
This based-on-a-true-story movie about the origin of the Columbian drug trade suffers from a lack of production. The amateur actors and the absence of a music track make what could've been a memorable film going experience feel more like an educational movie they show you in world history when your teacher has a hangover and doesn't feel like teaching.
More's the pity, as there was some striking imagery and a fascinating story. If you want to be educated, drink a lot of coffee and watch this, but if you want to be entertained, re-watch Narcos instead.
It's called Climax because it's a mind fuck, but I'm not sure you'll be glad you came.
It begins with the end scene and closing credits of a fake thriller as a sign to the audience that the traditional movie is over and we're about to go beyond the boundaries of normal film structure.
After a couple of dance sequences and party small talk centered on sex, drugs and a lot more sex (with passing references to children/parenting), the end credits appear in the middle of the film. Following them is the 2nd experience of the two-fer, where things get very dark very quickly.
The 'Dancing with the Scars' half is like a drug trip I couldn't get on board with so there was no way for me to get off -- I ended up just staring at the ceiling and wondering if it was going to be finished soon.
There was so much potential here, and even little amount of rich lore was beautiful.
I felt nothing for any characters except Alita and the doctor. Everyone else felt as if they were just reading text from paper. Even the love story was fully empty, and no emotion carried with the death of Hugo.
It seems like James Cameron fully underestimated his CGI vision. 80% of the CGI parts you were consistently and painfully reminded they were CGI. At least Avatar did CGI well.
All they had to do to make this a great movie, would be focus on the Mars backstory, maybe the dropped ship, and perhaps the city or bounty hunting life more. They instead focused on hollow characters and a drive to attack an overlord not even explained.
Wow, I can't believe all these visual effects are wasted a terrible story. The Battle Angel anime was ho hum. The live action story is a mess. The changes they made from the anime added absolutely nothing. Story is a 4/10! Visuals are some of the best ever scene.
VIP9Having the unique crowded style that is Robert Rodriguez's flair, this movie suffers from two great creator's tales forming into a clouded mess. James Cameron, known for his epic scales, and Rodriguez's small budget work don't mix well here. In fact, if it wasn't for Rodriguez's understanding of the importance of the world here, it might not have worked at all. But with the fluidity that he brings to the streets of Iron City, it breathes life in a chaotic marvel of special effects and set design.
Which is the standout aspect of this movie, the world design. Crafted with care as you can see this is a story that the creators want to be told right. Unfortunately, it left the characters and plot short. The environment is a lovely thing to admire, and to wonder about. But once again, it is sad to see the wonder be all that you get.
This film is a build up that never completes itself. Sure, Alita has an okay arc, and other characters have some motivation. But it falls flat when you build and build that you don't focus on this story as it's own, and instead let it be a setup film for potential sequels. It has great ideas and wonderous action. However, it leaves ideas behind as fast as it gets there. Built up to be a big thing, but then getting a tangent to something else. Leaving me feeling unsatisfied. Though, the main moral fixated with Alita is actually quite good and gives that unsatisfied feeling some meaning, but not enough to justify it.
Alita is the best character here, I found no others to be compelling enough to care for. This may be a factor of pacing shifting too fast or slowly in many cases, as I don't get the feeling enough time was spent with the right characters. Doctor Ido's arc is completely finished by the first half and is left behind for the remainder of the film. Others are just there for filler and have no impact on the story.
Alita: Battle Angel is good for action, as it is directed decently and has little to no shakycam. The main character is a strong female lead and has a very unique world and backstory. If a sequel does happen, I only hope they make it a contained film and actually give us a fascinating plot.
5/10
VIP8Before I begin, I need to get one thing straight. I watch movies because I like to see good films. I do not watch movies to kill time or feel good or to "not think for a while" as so many people say. It doesn't mean that I mind when a movie is inspirational as long as it is intelligent and gives me something to think about. The backdrops will change but quality should remain. This does not mean that I expect anyone else to watch a movie the way I do - I just want you to know where I'm coming from.
The more I think about it, the more I hate this movie.
The film is based on a real-life event where a rich southern family took in a semi-homeless black teenager. That part (and maybe only that part) is actually true. In itself, that story is amazing and incredibly touching. Too often in life we all look the other way when we see something uncomfortable on the streets.
It is this core story that is what is heartwarming. If I gave you the synopsis in one or two minutes you would be touched and your heart would be warmed. You're a better person for hearing about it. But there is a huge difference between relating the story and what was done in this movie and that is where my problem is. Just about everything that happened in the movie was contrived and superficial and meant to pull at your heartstrings.
And I know what you're saying - so what? It is a movie. If this were a novel or something like that, great. I can tolerate and even partially enjoy a movie like Serendipity that is meant to be pure sugar and meant to make you feel good. This movie had a touching core. The saccharin that was poured on top of it was at best unnecessary.
You want uplifting? Go see Precious. Now there was a film that was gritty, awful, beautiful and uplifting. It didn't need to cue the sappy music to let you know a scene was coming. The story stood on its own.
Anyway, here are the reasons why this movie was so bad.
The majority of the events never happened. Sandra Bullock didn't call the coach on the field during a game or run onto the field during practice to save the day. They didn't pick up the boy while he was walking along the street on a rainy night. There wasn't a dramatic moment where the coach fought to get the boy into school. All these dramatic scenes were standard Hollywood formulas for contrived emotions.
There was a single character in the move and that was the mother (Bullock). Every other character in the movie was either a prop (the boy) or a doormat (the husband, coach, etc). Worse, they all are expected to crown her as some queen while she insults them and ponders if this makes her a great person or not. Why? I think the answer is simple - it was meant to be a vehicle for Bullock and it was to be her show (even though, by all accounts, the real-life husband was very responsible for what happened).
Why are people so impressed with the sassy women? They should have called this movie "Erin Brockovich 2". I don't know what was more cringe-worthy: the scene where she drives into the hood and threatens some thugs with violence or where she verbally assaults the father in the stands at the game. If you met this woman in real life you'd want her dead. Can you imagine if someone called your kid's coach during a game to give advice (or worse, walking into a practice and treating the players like infants)? Would you talk down to him or your husband the way she repeatedly did? But for some reason people see it on screen and like it.
Speaking of condescending, what about her treatment towards the boy? He was essentially a pet in this movie. She ordered him to go here, there and everywhere. The big "trick" was teaching him how to play football. Think about it - he didn't have a meaningful line until the last 5 minutes of the movie and he was on screen more than anyone. I want to know what he thinks about the culture shock that he's been through. Was it difficult for him to move in with this family? What does he think of his past? We hear none of this because it is written to be a coronation of the mother.
I can see why black Americans were a little upset by this movie. Once again, don't get me wrong - it is admirable that they did what they did. But a bored and rich housewife takes on a project and they make a movie about it? There are scores of grandmothers that raised their grandkids because the parents weren't around - I can't imagine being one of those people and seeing this movie (and I can't imagine Hollywood making that movie). Also, the popularity of this film is more proof of the way we look at black Americans. We think that we need to protect them and be parents to them - you see it everyday in speech, movies, tv, etc. That is the real racism in this country.
Why the constant need to remind us that they are Christians and conservative? Besides, the message was hypocritical. Was it Christian to have academic standards to the Christian school? Was it Christian to live in that huge mansion? I think not.
Cliched. The whole movie was one cliche after another! You could see the next scene coming at every step of the way. Once again, this takes away from what the movie should have been about.
So, there you have it. If you like cheesy books written by the likes of Mitch Albom (other than "Morrie") or Glen Beck, you probably liked this. And I get that. But lets not pretend that it was anything more than a sunday night movie that you'd see on ABC (do they still have those?). Worse, lets not pretend that Bullock should have won the award. It is a crime that the leads in Inglorious Basterds or Precious didn't get it. Hell, I'd toss in the woman from Up in the Air also.
follow me at https://IHATEBadMovies.com (like this one)
Decent. But nothing more. There were some very funny moments - and the two leads Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein are more than fine. But at the end of the day it was a movie that just wanted to be 'Dazed & Confused', 'Superbad', 'Edge of seventeen' and 'American Graffiti' too much. And didn't really succeed in any aspect of those movies.
Some audiences will no doubt relate to the characters - realising they should have partied more etc. But there are way too many slightly cringeworthy moments that spoil any depth.
VIP9I really gotta eat my words on this one. I talked so much shit about how it was gonna be terrible. On and on I went, with reason after reason. "The runtime!" "The color palette!" "The lead actress!" Blah blah blah. Stellar. I was so tense for so much of this thing. Absolutely amazing!!!!
It's the transformation of a somewhat normal girl into a ruthless murderer. I particularly enjoyed how unappealing the lover was; I haven't read the novel, but I thought it underlined the main goal of the protagonist: relief from boredom and social norms.
Even if she evades prison at the end, a return to the status quo seemed like a fitting punishment for her, and it contrasted nicely with the fate of her lower-class co-conspirators.
Initial Reaction
After two viewings
The Good
• Deadpool himself is as funny as ever. Ryan Reynolds keeps up a fantastic performance and really gives it his all.
• Cable is also really good. Josh Brolin, despite being in many movies this year. Has given a great performance.
• Jokes are really funny when they hit, and they hit hard.
• Secondary characters are also really well done. Some anyway. More on that, below in the spoilers
• It has a true charm to it. Making it more distinct than the first. But not outshining it.
• The action was on point. The director really knows how to capture a great fight scene, and there are plenty here to enjoy and marvel at.
• Villain. This point is actually a fairly good one, but also has spoils. So read below if you really want to know. What I can say is that Ajax is nowhere near as memorable compared to the bad guys here.
• The amount of balls this movie has. It just does things, I would never expect them to do. The first movie gave us shocks at what they could say and show. Now they just go and toy with that to the next level. And I loved it.
The Bad
• Plot. It's not the best. It's also not that simple. The first Deadpool was very straightforward even with the time jumps. Here, it's a bit of a mess. Not to mention it's kind of a rip off of T2. But it acknowledges this at least
• Some jokes don't quite land. They reuse some of the same lines from the first movie, and it feels as if it really is lazy writing. As far as it seems, they are trying to make Deadpool's catchphrases more clear. But to me, it was just annoying.
• The jokes seem to build off the story in this. Whereas the first one felt more improvisational and made it seem like the plot revolved around the humour. Here it just seemed like the comedy was slotted into this action film. But it's not all that bad, just let down the overall tone of the movie.
• CGI is actually pretty bad. It's so distracting, it takes away from the comedy they try to sprinkle over it.
• Wade. He is focused on more than the first. And I just didn't like how they were trying to go about it.
• Along with the focus on Wade, the emotional scenes don't mix that well with the comedy like they did in the first.
Other Things
• You're going to want to stick around for the mid-credit sequences. They are some of the best ever in a Marvel movie, and in movies in general.
• There are two mid-credit scenes (almost back-to-back) and no end-credit scenes.
Spoiler Things
• The X-Force joke is so damn good that I can forgive the lack of build in the team up until the very humorous end. Again such a great ballsy move. Props to the studio.
• The villains in this movie, aren't really present in terms of villains. The first Deadpool had a villain, he had to beat him. Done. This sets it up to be all about Cable, but it actually gives us villains that turn out to be the same as Wade. Which is great for a Deadpool movie to show anti-heroes having a connection with the villains they are fighting.
Conclusion
DP2 is not better than the first. It lacks the simplicity and catchy humour that it had. But, it does grab onto you and takes you on a ride that is not as funny, but is just as enjoyable than the original. I don't see it being as rewatchable like the first. But as its own movie, it holds itself up for a fun experience, wonderful character portrayals, and a damn good time.
I'd like to point out that this movie is trying to call itself a "comedic, horror", But after seeing this movie, the only comedic horror that you've been viewing, is M. Night Shyamalan's movie career.
This was just painful. I would have loved to been there when this story was pitched, by M Night
You could probably condense this movie into a 10 minute short while still retaining the level of emotion which was attempted to be displayed.
LIFF31 2017 #5
"Joe, wake up. It's a beautiful day".
"You Were Never Really Here" is a cold and brutal revenge story that isn't for everybody. Wasn't a slow burn or the usual art house film you'd expect. The story is straight forward; we see a suicidal, possibly sexual abused veteran trying to rescue a missing girl from sex slavery, but it's presentation is different. After it was over, I struggle to collect my thoughts and needed to take time to suck all the details.
But the more I think about it, the more I like and appreciate it. Themes play a big part, instead of plot. Leaving you to fill in the gapes. This might be frustrating for some people.
Joaquin Phoenix was amazing, as usual. The way he portrays a soft and rough person with a long history of violence told through his eyes. Phoenix was extraordinary to watch. You can feel the sweat, blood, and tears come off the screen in a couple of scenes.
Lynne Ramsay manges to build up this atmosphere and anxiety through her excellent directing. Even the on/off-screen violence made the film's energy of brutality so uncombable. Mixed with Jonny Greenwood's vicious and tense soundtrack. Of course the trashy and beautiful cinematography, only adds to the dream-like feel of it.
Issues I had with the film (which are small) is how too simply the storyline is or the flashback scenes could have been executed a little better. That's really it, to be honest.
Overall rating: Interesting look on the new "Taxi Driver".
a very engaging film that fell a little flat. It kept me intrigued until the very end however I did feel let down. The concept was great and as a man whom has had to deal with similar issues in my own life it did hit a chord.
Maybe the ending would have been better (looking for a better word) if Bethan or the baby had died during childbirth and Locke ruined his life for something he may have got away with by his family never knowing his dirty little secret but then that is a very unpleasant thought that a child has died and half of the conversations during the film would become obsolete, either that or Locke just crashes the car or commits suicide. We are only remembered for the most recent things we have done.
Mom and Dad is like marrying your lover: exciting at the beginning but it lets itself go and stops trying not long after.
This film is a bit like the post office: It delivered its message well, but didn't use much skill to do so. Wonder serves up the standard "catastrophe / redemption / catastrophe / redemption" cycle and finishes right where you'd expected it to. Definitely a feel good tear jerker for those looking for a feel good tear jerker with no surprises.
Edge of Seventeen is a great funny little coming of age comedy. I really hope this movie gets the attention it deserves when its released on DVD. Hailee Steinfeld is a star in this film.
Somehow, this movie seems to fit the criteria for both a remake and a sequel. Obviously, yes, this film follows the continuity of the franchise up to this point (even Rocky V for some reason). But while doing that, it also makes the story feel like a "What if Rocky took place in 2015" plot. I could see someone possibly finding that to be a fault, but I really loved it. Our main character is different enough to be interesting while tackling these difficult odds.
But don't let me forget the direction on this film. I loved almost every shot, every edit, and every musical cue. The fight scene in the middle of this film is all one continuous, uncut shot. Probably put together digitally, but still freaking awesome. If you enjoy the Rocky franchise, you'll enjoy this great epilogue.
The suspense was as dark and as thick as the night I saw it. Not a teenage slasher film, but excellent psychological horror.
