Reviews

I must admit, for the first hour or so of this movie, I was not very impressed. The comedy felt forced, the first action scene was uninteresting to me (perhaps because it lacked context), and reliance on cute anthropomorphic animals seemed like a cliche, empty appeal to pathos. For me, it lacked a clear direction. The second half of the film, however, radiated with all the life, character and passion that made the first Guardians so good. I might still complain that the film runs a bit too long but the quality of the second half more than makes up for the first, perhaps even redeems it, if I ever end up watching this again.

Volume 3 does really well what any piece of franchise should do for its characters. It moves them forward, introduces change, and allows them to grow. This film saw the group band together after struggling to find their footing to fight for the things they care the most about.

050423 Watchcout: 1.

This is a story filled with tragedy. Orphan boy that no one likes, Alienated daughter, cheating wife, jealous and defeated husband. This kind of story could have been told in such a melodramatic way, but it wasn't. It's a quaint adventure, with quirky twists and turns, everything light and adventurous. That is why I love this film. Wes Anderson is so skilled at bottling up humanity and serving it back to us in carefully controlled, picturesque tales. This is my favorite film from Anderson, and I find myself drawn back to it, knowing I can both experience, and be protected from some of the hardships of humanity.

Love is the underlying theme that enriches this story, and the love story of Sam and Suzy is a statement that sometimes love doesn't make sense. Sometimes it's absurd, sometimes forbidden. It draws characters together and pushes them apart. For all the film's tragedy, the humanity and kindness of all the characters keep it bright and accessible, as if we are being told a childhood story, tucked away in the safety and comfort of our beds.

050323 Watchcount: 2.

This film has everything you need from a coming-of-age story. It was bright and adventurous, funny and sincere. I could see myself revisiting the joys of Margaret sometime down the line.

It was very satisfying to watch the personal growth through the generations of Margaret's family. The coming-of-age formula provided a great foundation to explore not just Margaret's development in her life, but her mom and grandma as well. Each were presented with new challenges and emotional hardships when the family moves, and each has to find a way to move through them and grow. I haven't read the book, but the film is a solid, accessible feature with a lot of heart.

Watchcount: 1 042723.

This film is incredibly metaphorical. Either most of what you see is externalizations of Beau's anxiety, or the film is set in some kind of apocalyptic near-future. The story suggests metaphor over apocalypse. So I definitely will need to come back to this to absorb the details and sort out the confusion of it all. It definitely felt. Random at times though.

This seems to me to be an expression of all the anxiety and emotional festering that an emotionally and, in all likelihood, sexually abusive mother has had on her son ("Murmur of the Heart," anyone?). The theme of guilt came up multiple times throughout the film. Note that it wasn't just the word "guilt," but "guilty" that kept being used. This distinction transforms a general emotion into an accusation, and serves as the source for much of the protagonists trauma. It was tough to sort out reality from metaphor in the film, and the runtime may have been thirty minutes too long, but the originality of the idea and execution make these flaws pardonable.

There is a consistency here with Astor's work in that a seemingly terrifying abstraction of reality gives way to an even more terrifying actual reality. And Beau never stood a chance.

Watchcount: 2.

Will I watch this movie again: 3/5 no, not planning on it.

While it was a decent bit of fun, the colors were addictively pop, and Nicolas Cage was entertaining in all of his absurd glory, I can't see myself returning to this film at any point in the future. It's just not my speed What did this movie mean: 3/5.

As the credits began at the end of the film, I pondered what it all meant and struggled until a swath of words flashed up on the screen, something like, "Be the change you want to see in the world, and yourself." The formal structure of returning to the support group at various times in the film supports this well, but the plot of the movie doesn't lend itself as naturally to this as it does some kind of antihero fable about morality. The parallel plot with Rebecca and her fight against the city's corruption sort of works but is very cliche and flat. Her backstory doesn't seem to bear any weight on the plot or theme either.

It did just okay, I don't regret watching it.

Mrs. Harris is maybe not the hero we deserve, but the one we need. Everywhere she goes, her kindness spreads like an infectious disease; I'm pretty sure a bit spilled out of the screen and got some of us in the audience. She handles life with such an authenticity, It's marvelous, refreshing.

There's nothing too unexpected about this film, but certainly not a waste of time. The world needs to go see Mrs Harris!

Good, simple story for kids. Not too much here, pretty typical, some funny moments. Some noteworthy voice actors, attractive animation and momentary touches on themes of accepting others' differences. Worth the watch, try it :)

The themes here are under-explored, the characters are unconvincing, and the pacing was exhausting. Perhaps the worst and most immediate criticism I had while watching this film was how unconving the setting of the marsh was. It was too vibrant, lacked atmosphere, and, if I'm honest, played no significant role in the plot. It should have, but it didn't. For a gril who lives in the marsh and raised herself there, Kya is awefully clean and her face made up all the time. This is just perfect for a girl in a Hallmark story, not a girl from a marsh. She's surprisingly well adjusted for everything she's been through also. Not sure who to blame on that one as I haven't read the book. If you want brainless romance, this is for you. If you don't want to hear a courtroom full of people gasp at a bunch of dull evidence, avoid this.

This is exactly the kind of movie that would have given me nightmares for months when I was a kid. I was specifically scared of being abducted and this movie brings that vision to life with horrific clarity.

The child actors all did a great job at making their characters believable. One scene with Madeleine McGraw in particular.

Ethan Hawke as the grabber was sickeningly terrifying. Many films will try to make their villains relatable in some way so the audience can empathize with them, making them more than just a flat evil character. Not this movie. The grabber is pure evil, psychopathic, and Hawke plays it so convincingly. That is not to say the grabber has no layers as a character. There was an interesting moment with the mask toward the end that makes one think a little deeper about the character.

The Black Phone is a good horror/thriller that engages you from start to finish. Would watch again.

Let's iron out some things to start: 1.) Lightyear is better than the terrible score it currently has 2.) Lightyear falls short of the standard Pixar has set for itself. It is a very average movie 3.) Socks was Incredible

Okay, with that out of the way, here are a few positive notes for the film. The overarching narrative concept of it being an "inspiration" film for Andy in the "Toy Story" universe is handled very cleverly, as it contains a brief visual reference to 2001: A Space Odyssey, visual and aural (AND a clever narrative) reference to Star Wars (Zurg as Darth Vadar), and striking Narrative homage to interstellar. These are all massively influential sci-fi films that have had the same effect of endearment on movie goers and film makers throughout history.

The visual and the aural aspects of the film were incredible, as can be expected from Pixar.

As previously mentioned, the cat was actually an incredible character, touching on themes of AI and sentience in a subtle way and providing comic relief without being too corny (in my opinion).

Now for some of the less spectacular aspects of the film. The theme of "mistakes being okay, and learning opportunities" could have been executed more convincingly. Some of the mistakes the characters make are unnecessarily frustrating. Maybe that was the point. I don't know.

The narrative had a strange reset like 20 or 30 minutes in where new characters are introduced and the story changes gears. This ties in okay with the theme about mistakes, but it doesn't feel very good to experience.

Speaking of these new characters, to me, they seemed flat. They functioned as comedic relief, and there didn't seem to be any subtly in their personalities to make them interesting at all.

In summary, I will say what it seems like everyone here is saying. It was not good, but it certainly wasn't THAT bad.

This is a very well written comedy. While maintaining laughs and pace, it asks questions about human relationships and their meaning.

I went in thinking it was going to be this super meta movie and rely only on the clever nature of the casting to entertain (not that that would have been bad). It IS very meta, but it didn't have to be to entertain.

Can I just add how CRAZY it was that the character in the script happened to be named Nick Cage. Great on the casting people getting Nicolas Cage to play him!

Great acting, lots of laughs, solid movie.

The Northman takes a little while to sink in. It is a hard movie to watch: extremely violent with characters that are tough to root for, and a narrative that seems to be on an unstoppable path to doom for everyone involved. That said, once it does sink in, it is incredibly thought provoking, a film-watching experience that is not easy to rinse off the mind.

This is a surreal vision. Robert Eggers created something extremely different and convincing with The Northman. The irony of this film is that, with all the talk about fate, the characters were exclusively driven and affected by their own choices and the consequences of them.

First, lets get the obligatory, "this is the first film I ever reviewed/this is my all time favorite movie," out of the way. Done.

"Groundhog Day" is a remarkably original film and a powerful, emotional story of personal growth. From a thematic standpoint, the psychological journey ensnaring Phil Connors suggests that personal growth is not only important, but absolutely necessary for coexistence with humanity. It is the perfect marriage of theme and narrative concept.

Bill Murry's mannerisms fit the character of Phil Connors with surgical precision

"Groundhog Day" exudes that small-town atmosphere without ever losing energy. George Fenton's, often jazzy, band-style score aids flawlessly in this feat, while the quotidian visuals and relentlessly genuine townspeople make this film the perfect "hot chocolate film" and keep me coming back again and again and again...