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They Cloned Tyrone (2023)
Fun watch,good characters, a tad slow
I had a great time watching They Cloned Tyrone. Now let's get to it quickly
The Good: The soundtrack's catchy. Jamie Foxx and Teyonah kill it in their roles, and the banter the main characters have is consistently entertaining. PERSONALLY, I love how they shot it to make it look a bit older, a bit grainier - I think that helped set up the kind of sci-fi aspects well and enhanced the lighting work. There are some real funny lines and scenes, and I thought the plot was fun.
The "I'm conflicted": John Boyega is generally awesome as Fontaine, he has a great presence and he really made the character distinguishable to the tiniest details in how he walks, phrasing, etc. However, there are a couple scenes with heightened emotions where I just didn't buy it, it felt a bit overacted. Not a big deal but it stood out.
The Eh: The pacing was a bit slow and the movie was a tad long. I think a few scenes could have been combined to trim down the runtime and just keep it all moving along.
Poor Things (2023)
Gorgeous, but Flawed
NON SPOILER PART
10/10 visually 6.5/10 for the length and plot.
Aesthetically, one of the most gorgeous films I've viewed, from the thought out costumes to the weirdly captivating surreal cg backgrounds and sets. The soundtrack is unique only ever enhances what is on screen. All of the acting is top notch. Emma Stone put her everything into this role, her character is insatiable for living, in all manners, and she captures that feeling so much better than I believe many others could. It helps that she was a producer, so I'm sure part of why her portrayal comes across as poignant as it does is due to her influence. Another standout Mark Ruffalo, I think he brings both the insidious and hilariously pathetic parts of his character to light perfectly.
Although Poor Things is a beautiful looking movie, the plot has been steeped in controversy since release. Lanthimo's prior films are pretty straightforward allegorically, Poor Things is not, and I think that makes the message (despite its stengths and weakness) harder to understand. For anyone who has yet to see it: there's so much nudity and sex so be prepared, I was not so it was a pretty big shock.
I still enjoyed the experience of watching, but I'm dissatisfied with both the extremely high praise and harsh dismissal. The movie is nuanced and far from perfect, but it explores some interesting ideas and raises some questions about human condition and what is means to grow up as a woman that I think are being muddled in some of the discourse. If you like artsy films and aren't too detracted by nudity, give it a shot and make your own conclusions. Below are some of mine.
SPOILER PART + HOT TAKES.
I think most people are missing the point of the film by stripping the nuance away. Yes Bella is a literal child in an adult body, but most people just stop there and say "well that's immoral." But isn't that the point? For me, Bella's the most extreme version of the born sexy yesterday trope coined by pop culture detective. Take Tron, Aquamarine, Alita Battle Angel(although this one is semi-subverted), or the fifth element, the female love interests enter fresh into the world and are taught primarly by the average male protagonist how the world works, entirely unaware of their sex appeal. The only difference with them and Bella is that Bella's canonically a child, all of these other characters are magically adults when they enter the modern world. Bella's an exaggeration of it. Additionally, the movie, while if contains this gross grooming sub plot, does not endorse this. Mark Ruffalo's character is not one to root for, we are rooting for Bella to explore herself and learn. And Bella does learn, Mark Ruffalo's character is a vehicle to get her out of her house, then she has a whole montage where she's obsessed with reading and learning. Despite her initial interest in sex work, we are ultimately shown it is not ideal and Bella learns how trapping it can be.
I think many young women can relate to being taken advantage of, or of an older man seeking them out because they are "young and inexperienced." The way characters treat Bella is heavily reflective of our real world, and none of them are considered good. In the end Bella marries Max, the assistant, while still very problematic for falling for Bella when she was a literal child, he is still the only man to not get all up in arms about her sex work and continued to love her after she had grown as a character. I think the movie overall is saying that Bella who had to act as both her own mother (learning things on her own) and child (being entirely naive) self actualizes in spite of all the male forces surrounding her who wanted to keep her complacent. Additionally I think the movie says quite a lot about how men unreasonably idealize women, and the cruelty in which they act when that idealization is not met.
In that sense, Poor Things is much more of a feminist exploration than some realize. Still Poor Things ultimately fails at it's feminist message. Despite wanting to grapple with the idea of a child encoutering adult things bc of their adult body, where the heck is the scene of Bella's first period? Or of learning how to shave because I'm positive that brothel matron would force the women to remain meticulously groomed. Or a pregnancy scare, or a scene declaring Bella's infertility due to the operation on her? Even a mention of ANY of these aspects related to womanhood would have elevated the shallower feminisn into something more grounded but instead there are just more sex scenes.
Regardless, for all the movies I watched in 2023 and so far in 2024, none have left me swimming in my own conflicted thoughts more than Poor Things, and for that alone I appreciate this movie and will likely watch it again in the future to think some more.
One Piece (2023)
First Live Action Adaptation I've Thoroughly Enjoyed
I literally could care less that some of the camera angles are a bit too cheesy, that some of the wigs could've been better, or that they didn't include 'x y z' specific detail from the manga. The cast KILLED it, I'm not sure I can see any regular human but Iñaki as Luffy anymore. The costuming killed it, making sure costumes fit characters but weren't overly repetitive. And the set departments absolutely killed it, they heavily leaned into the island concept which gave a lot more life to the universe that I initially had expected. The people who made this clearly put a stupendous amount of thought and it worked. They nailed the vibe of one piece, and matched the character dynamics extremely well.
In my opinion, one of the challenges of adapting an anime is always that thin line between being too serious so that it becomes unbelievable, and too ridiculous so that all emotional depth is lost. This is a live action adaptation of a manga about a RUBBER MAN who wants to be king of pirates. That is an inherently goofy premise, making that thin line even more precarious to tread, but they pulled it off.
This is a great introduction to the one piece universe if the manga is too intimidating, and it's a fun version to watch for old fans as well with a good amount of Easter eggs that never become overwhelming. By no means is the show perfect, by itself, it is closer to and 8/10. However this is the best live action adaption I've seen, leaps and bounds better than I could've ever expected from a live action show where the source material is so difficult to adapt, which bumped it up to a 10. I really really hope they produce a season 2, because I'm so excited to see what this could become!
Barbie (2023)
Super fun, super colorful, and very plastic!
The entire cast does such a great job and it seems everyone had a fun time making the film. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are of course stand outs, but Michael Cera as Allan and Issa Rae as Barbie were also phenomenol! The sets were gorgeous, according to behind the scenes, everything was practical when it could be, and that made such an obvious difference in bringing the Barbie world to life. The costumes!!! So much fun, so much pink, and Robbie's long-standing relation with chanel wormed it's way into costuming as well, truly there are a bunch of unique and extremely well done pieces!
However, this is still a movie made to appeal to the widest audience to make the most money possible. There's some popular feminism, but nothing that challenges status quo, and nothing too disagreeable for the average audience. It's pretty to look at, but lacks adequate substance in favor of just bringing up the talking point to say they acknowledged it. Furthermore the movie is extremely uninterested in exploring anything about Mattel's business practices or perpetual consumerism. Not that I was expecting it to, but both those potential issues are very blatantly sidelined and made for humor which sometimes feels like a bit much for me.
Anyways, if you want a pretty looking and pretty funny movie that'll definitely continue to make a stupid amount of money, it is well worth it!
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)
Fun and severely underrated, but the finale is terribly disappointing
It's a law sitcom with wacky and absurd situations. It's not trying to take itself to seriously, it knows that it's a bit stupid and I think it worked well because of that. Yes, it's absolutely an episodic cameo show and it has some cringe jokes but I was almost consistently entertained.
Tatiana's perfect for the sarcastic drivel she's going for, and she plays off well with all the other actors. I'm always here for a good legal comedy and even though the cameo's are absolutely fanservice, I loved the entertaining cases. Jen's struggle to find balance between herself and "She-Hulk" works well. Sure, I wish we saw more of it, but the few moments where Jen gets to express vulnerability instead of the comedy work well.
The last episode sucked though. Instead of following up on some of the plot points and making a satisfying conclusion, or decide to deal with the ramifications of getting a private life leaked, the finale was decided to do a "haha, what if we like, messed with the finale, didn't put any effort in, and had constant fourth wall breaks, hehe." It's really lame, disappointing, an absolute waste.
Honestly the show up until the finale is probably a 7/10, the finale is a 1/10, but the IMDb score is underrated enough so I gave it an 8 for that.
Cam (2018)
Way Underrated
This is a film where the horrific implications are much, much more terrifying than what's shown on screen, and for me, that worked.
Having someone take over an online version of yourself, doing things you would never do, revealing personal information, eradicating the personal/work boundaries.... That mess is absolutely terrifying. Madeline Brewer's performance is stunning, and I felt her downward spiral of terror as the life she built began to crumble.
I know there are reviews that say otherwise, but I personally loved the ending. We're watching everything from the eyes of the protagonist, Alice, who doesn't know everything that's happening, and therefore we don't know what truly happened. The questions of how, why, can it happen again, are left unanswered, which only makes her decision at the end to do what she does that much more potent.
Anyways... I thoroughly enjoyed this film, I think it'll hit harder for those who can emphasize stronger with Alice, but the cinematography is great, acting is fantastic, and I liked the pacing, what it does, and Alice as a character. Give it a chance!
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2022)
Well worth a watch
This was basically everything I hoped for! Script was tight, plot was fast paced, the animation was always dynamic and very very well done, and the voice acting remained excellent. Seriously I can't get over how dynamic and colorful the animation was. Truly, it was a treat for me eyes the entire time, and somehow the animators stepped up what was already top notch animation from the show! Honestly, the only disappointing thing is I want more!!
If you like the ROTTMNT series, or are just looking for a great action packed animated film you'll love the movie.
To all those review dumping the movie because it somehow desecrates other iterations of the turtles. Those other series still exist? They haven't magically disappeared. Different artists have always created different interpretations of any franchise, and I'm sure we'll continue to see many more versions of TMNT in the future. I don't know why there's any need to hate this so actively.
Zombies (2018)
Cheesy fun with catchy songs
The songs are catchy and the choreography is very well done. The actors seem like they're having a good time which definitely makes the movie more enjoyable to watch!
Some of the dialogue is real clunky and/or cringe inducing but overall the movie got a few laughs from me.
If you like the wildly cheesy plots and the classic overdone costuming of Disney this one's worth a watch if you haven't seen it yet!
The Bad Guys (2022)
Predictable, but well executed :)
The only thing holding this movie back from a higher score is the very predictable, basic plot.
The voice acting is lovely, the animation is extremely smooth and pleasant every millisecond. The comedy doesn't always hit perfectly, but the script is tight enough that I don't mind at all. If something's brought up earlier, it's used again for effect later. Even the music's catchy enough! The action scenes are really the height of the film, they're a blast to watch, fast paced but very easy to follow and a lot of the animation techniques used are *chefs kiss.*
Again, the only thing that bores me was how stereotypical the plot was. The Bad Guys doesn't do anything that hasn't been seen before, doesn't reinterpret any tropes, or do anything interesting.
The Bad Guys is worth a watch if you like animation and/or want a cute family film! I really hope they make more of these because even if the plot's a tad boring I'd still watch it for everything else.
The Mitchells vs the Machines (2021)
Adorable family movie, emphasis on the family
I wasn't expecting to love this movie going into it, but surprise, it's very cute, creative, and extremely heartwarming.
It's very hyperactive with a lot of internet pop culture bursting throughout. It was a bit much for me, but it adds to the flavor of the film and I think would resonate more with a demographic younger than me.
With however much is going on screen, the script is pretty tight. By focusing on the father daughter relationship and having every major theme connect to that somehow, the film comes across very streamlined. You really understand their relationship, and how they struggle to connect but nonetheless want to do something. We're given enough background to them and their emotions to feel their tensions and become invested. Balancing this family story with a wacky premise worked very well, and you can tell that the people who made this really loved what they were making.
There's also a lot of genuinely funny moments that I laughed out loud at. Not every bit of humor works, but enough of it catered to my tastes.
I would highly recommend this as a feel good family movie night, or for anyone just looking to have a good time and doesn't mind a bit of stereotypical weirdness.
Arcane: League of Legends (2021)
Arcane's my new obsession and I want to convert everyone else too
Arcane is a solid 9.5 out of 10 for me. If you like the art of animation, amazing and hard hitting fight scenes, well thought out characters and drama with high stakes, and some political tensions, I cannot recommend Arcane enough. The show's set up into 3, 3 episode acts, each building on the last. As someone who has never played league, the show was still very accessible. Seriously, if any of the trailers, or music videos, or reviews seems interesting, check out the first episode.
The good: The animation is a beautiful blend of 2D and 3D. At any point you could pause and the image on screen is a picture of art. How they manage to make the motion of characters and choreograph fight scenes makes it clear there's appropriate weight behind every movement. It's lovely. Not to mention the times they use visual storytelling and it's amazing! The characters are complex and fleshed out enough to feel like people with real emotions and issues (this is aided by the animation too). The voice acting is also some of the best I've heard in western animation, appropriately emotional but never too over the top. Personally, I loved the pacing, fast, but not back breaking. Music is very polarizing for people, but the soundtrack has 3 of my favorite artists (JID, Woodkid, and Denzel Curry) so the soundtrack greatly enhanced my experience watching. Arcane is focused on telling an engaging story about intriguing characters, and it took me a while to realize how diverse the characters were without forcing it or making it feel like the only reason they're there is to check some box. I'm all for diversity, but when it's done poorly it's so frustrating and annoying.
The less good (still good haha): Initially, I found it hard to geographically understand what was going on. Every setting is very distinct but how they relate to each other physically in space wasn't shown well. There's a single spot where I lose immersion when music is played in the show, but it only happens once every other song is very well placed. There's also one relationship that in like, 2 occasions feels it's edging too close on the line of familial versus romantic that was, weird, but it didn't cross that line.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
You know, I'm something of a movie critic myself
No movie's perfect, but I was emotionally invested or having a blast watching the film the entire time so it's well worth the watch.
Throughout the movie, Peter makes bad choice after bad choice, and then faces the consequences for each action. There's weight to every action he takes in a way not as present in any of the prior MCU Spidey movies, making this one stand out from the rest.
The movie works as well as it does because the cast behind it puts on an incredible performance as well. One minute there's humor and the next we're having a serious conversation and the actors pull those tone switches off phenomenally.
Maybe the pacing could have been better, and maybe there are a few plot holes (how much they matter is debatable) that later on I questioned. Overall it's an emotional and fun blast for anyone to, and especially for Spider-Man fans.