American Animals Review (2018)

American Animals

  American Animals is the true story of four college students who plotted one of the mosts infamous heists in American history, stealing rare books worth millions of dollars.
  The style of the film is something you will either really like, or something that will take you out of the movie completely. It's filmed partly like a documentary, with the real thieves and their parents giving their sides of the story. The rest of it is filmed conventionally with actors, and will cut from both throughout.
  The movie takes quite some time to get off the ground, bordering on tedious at times. That said, when it does pick up, it really picks up.
  The film's strengths are in its performances. Evan Peters and Barry Keoghan are soooo much fun to watch, somehow making extremely unlikeable characters, sympathetic and relatable. 

  American Animals doesn't seem deep at first, but as it gets further into the story, it is quiet the poignant exploration of privillage, responsibility, selfishness, morality, and man's deep-longing to be special.
  It's other strength is its cinematography, which is so beautiful that it might as well be a painting itself. There is one shot that intentionally looks just like The Desprate Man painting by Gustave Courbet, and it literally blew my mind when I saw it.
  Overall American Animals is a strong film techincally and performance wise, but it does have pacing issues and the interviews between scenes will either hit or miss with audiences. I give it a 7 out of 10 stars (Very Good)

Hereditary Review (2018)

Hereditary 

  With films like Get out, The Witch, A Quiet Place, The Conjuring, and now Hereditary, it looks like the horror genre is ready to play with the big boys. Honestly, I couldn't be more excited about this, and I couldn't wait to see this film. Not only did it recieve high praise from critics, but it was even called this generation's Exorist/Rosemary's Baby. When a movie has so much hype around it, it's easy to be dissapointed. But with Hereditary, I wasn't. Not even a little bit.
  What I adore about this film is how good it is even when you take away all of its horror elements. The characters are interesting, well acted, and fleshed out, keeping us emotionally invested in the story. There were moments, specifically one at a dinner table, that literally brought tears to my eyes because I felt so deeply affected by these characters and their tragedy.  
  Toni Collete and Alex Wolfe give unforgettable, Oscar worthy performances as Annie and Peter, but Milly Shaprio is also one to look out for.
   All that to say, Hereditary is a gripping drama above all, but it is also absolutely, freaking terrifying. Like make an appointment with your local priest after and sleep with the lights on terrifying.
  In fact, Hereditary is one of the scariest films I've ever seen, but not in the same way as a film like The Conjuring. It's scary in the same way The Witch was scary. It takes its time to build the tension and it earns each and every scare with techincal excellence. Every shot is carefully crafted by cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski, while the sinister, soundtrack of Colin Stetson will haunt your dreams. Director, Ari Aster, has made a film that lives up to all of the hype, and yes, can be compared with greats like The Exorcist. The demented, disturbing images in this film will stick with you forever, as well as the story which you will be able to analyze for hours afterwards.
  As you can tell, I absolutely LOVED this film. 10 out of 10 stars. (A Must See)

Adrift Review 2018

Adrift

  Adrift is the true story of a young couple stranded in the middle of the ocean for 41 days. It's a powerful story, but I have mixed feelings about its execution.
  What I did love about the film was Shailene Woodley. Her performance was so beautiful and captivating, and she really brought it as she always does. Woodley is one of those actresses that demands your sympathy and demands to be liked. She carried this film on her shoulders, giving us someone to root for in a world of pretty non-interesting characters.That said, it doesn't change the fact that we are in a world of non-interesting characters. Especially when the story continually cuts back and forth from the present tragedy of being lost at sea (which is interesting), and the boring romantic relationship we are supposed to care about. This isn't to say that Claflin and Woodley don't have chemistry, but it is to say that director Baltasar Kormakur tries so hard to make the audience care, that it feels contrived and strategically plotted out.
  Adrift is solid, but it's not nearly as memorable as other films like Life of Pi or Castaway. 6 out of 10 stars (Worth Ticket Price)

Solo (A Star Wars Story) Review (2017)

Solo (A Starwars Story) 

  I went into this movie expecting absolutely nothing, but I was actually pleasently surprised.
  Solo happens to be the most Star Wars-y, of all the recent Star Wars movies! It's got the charm and campiness of the originals, the forbidden romances of the prequals, and like all of them, it's fun!
  Solo manages to tell and interesting story that feels unique and also adds to the character of Han without ruining your childhood.  It's never convienient, the pacing is smooth, and the acting is actually really good.
   Alden Ehrenreich wasn't necessarily my first casting choice for Han, but he was quite likeable in the role. Same can be said for Donald Glover as Lando and Joonas Suotamo as Chewy.
  Did this film need to exist? Not necessarily. Han is a character that we love because of his mysterious history and the fact that nobody can be Harrison Ford. That said, Ron Howard was the right person to do this movie and I'm glad he did. 9 out of 10 stars. (I'd Buy It On Blu-Ray)
  

 

Speed Reviews: Tully, Deadpool 2, Ready Player One, You Were Never Really Here

Tully

  Starring Charlize Theron, Tully is the story of a mom with postpartum depression.
  This movie gave me really mixed feelings, because the first 2 acts were absolutely incredible. It was probably the best I've seen Theron, and everything felt so raw and authentic. You care about the characters, you relate with the story, it's beautiful, it's moving.  The way the characters react and interact with each other feels so real. Then, the third act comes around. They throw in a plot twist that undercuts everything they set up, and makes the audience feel like they've been cheated. Honestly, the end was downright cheasy.
  Tully is a film that has a 10 out of 10 first two acts and a 5 out of 10 third. Over all, I'll round it off to a 7 out of 10 stars. (Very Good)

Deadpool 2

  Back again with the witty, crude humor of a middle-school screenwriter, we have Deadpool 2. If you're a fan of the franchise, you will most likely love this film, if not, you may feel how I did.
  Now don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike the first film, but I also didn't think it wasn't as great and revolutionary as other people seemed too.
  This franchise lives off its shock value, which is a problem when most mainstream films are already pretty shocking. Cursing a lot, and being vulgar doesn't cut it anymore. With Deadpool, we can feel them trying.
  Does it have its funny moments? Yes, absolutely. When it hits, it hits hard. But when it doesn't, it really faceplants.
  I would say that I found Deadpool 2 entertaining, but not much else. 6 out of 10 stars. (Worth Ticket Price)

Ready Player One

  Ughhh. If you are a fan of this film or the book, you may find this review offensive...
  Let me start by saying that I thought the film looked trash from the trailer. Then the reviews came out. Then my friends saw it. Everything was positive, everyone loved it, people were even seeing it multiple times in theaters. So I gave in. And now I have trust issues.
  Ready Player One is hot garbage. The characters are uninteresting, the dialogue is dumb, the story is childish and boring. They try and make you care about the characters by giving them a "Thing". Abusive parents, a deformity, etc. But that's a shallow way of building empathy and it does nothing to make me care. 

  Everything about this film is one-dimentional, and my favorite part was when it was over. If I am gonna say anything positive at all, it's that Ready Player One has pretty decent graphics. Aside from that, 1 out of 10 (Trash)

You Were Never Really Here

  Starring the amazingly soulful performance of Joqauin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here is the story of a veteran who saves young girls from sex-trafficking. While it sounds like the plot of the next generic Taken movie, it is anything but.
  Director Lynne Ramsay instead gives us a delicate and fragile film about those affected by violence and how they are usually the ones to perpetuate it. It talks about how violence runs in circles, and what it does mentally to its victims. She does this in a way that never glamorizes the violence, but always shows the horridness of the outcome. Joaquin Phoenix's character is empathetic to a fault, carrying the entire world on his shoulders as he tries to help as many people as he can at the price of his own mental sanity.
  You Were Never Really Here is poetic and beautiful and impactful.  Its flaws are in its pacing and some of the jarring editing, but the positives definetly outweigh the negatives here. If you have the patience and aren't bothered by the fact that not everything is spoon fed to you, this film is really emotionally satisfying. 8 out of 10 stars. (I'd Buy It)