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Reviews
Brightburn (2019)
More horror than superhero movie but still fun
If you've been reading comic book for the past years, "Brightburn" isn't anything you haven't seen before. "What if Superman, but evil?" is a stock plot of multiple comics. The film, bears more than a little resemblance to the comic series "Irredeemable" with the main difference that the evil Superman analogue in "Brightburn" breaks bad during his youth in Kansas.
As horror movies go this film, is pretty good exploration of the horror inherent of someone with Superman's powers but without his moral compass. However, I do wish the movie spent more time with setting up the characters turn to evil rather than blaming it on puberty. Also kind of wish that there were more comic book movie tropes used in the film. How cool would it have been to see a scary spin on the "designing the costume scene" or "picking a name" scene that appears in most comic book movies. The closest the movie comes is in a scene that plays during the credits which definitely made me interested in any potential sequels.
Booksmart (2019)
The kind of movie they don't make anymore
This was something I had given hope for a long time ago: The smart, well-acted theatrical comedy that doesn't seem to get made anymore in the era of Netflix. This film doesn't reinvent the wheel: The plot (Two girls attempt to attend the last big party before high-school graduation but are constantly thwarted by a series of comic set-pieces) borrows from other similar movies, especially "Superbad."
Though the film doesn't tread any new ground plot wise, it makes up for that in genuine great comic scenes and great acting from the two leads. The main characters are both broad comic archetypes and, at the same time, relatable. It reminds me of high school as it really was, a place where students tested boundaries and yet were often just trying to figure out their lives. Every character in this movie seemed like someone who may have actually gone to school with me and that leant it an emotional honesty that I think even "Superbad" lacked.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
"Avengers :Endgame": The rare ending that's as good as the beginning
So by this point you all know what this movie is and what it's about. I'm just going to give you the good and the bad:
The Bad: Some of Captain America's decisions at the end seems slightly out of character. Since it's the last movie, I kind of wish we spent more time with the "Classic" versions of these characters. It does assume that you have seen all of the other movies.
Good: Pretty much every thing else. Strong finale. Possibly one of the best versions of superhero fight scene ever put on film. Nebula's full good guy turn surprisingly works (it helps that film Nebula is much more likable than comic Nebula). It gives the Lord of the Ring finale a run for it's money while giving all the characters even those who are there for brief cameos a chance to shine.
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019)
"Detectiv Pikachu" squanders an intersting premise
This movie sounded pretty unique at first: The first live action Pokemon movie with 3-D realistically rendered Pokemon with a premise too bizarre to be real. Instead of following a Pokemon trainer as he fought to become "The very best", the movie would instead focus on a young man investigating the disappearance of his father with his sidekick, a talking Pikachu only he can understand.
That's pretty different premise, in the end, did it turn out to be just another Pokemon films? I know this is a children's movie. so I didn't expect it to be dark or edgy, but did it literally have to go to the same place every Pokemon movie does. where in the heroes have to trust in their Pokemon to save the world?
I know that audiences expect Pokemon battles in a Pokemon movie. You know, there would still be room for action in a movie that took a more grounded approach to Pokemon. The bad guys don't have to be out to take over the world in every movie: It's OK to have characters who are just criminals.
Worse, this movie is more concerned with making Pokemon references than actually telling an engaging story with characters worth caring about. The story seems to halt every five seconds so another popular Pokemon can make a cameo. If you wanted to see what Magikarp or Jigglypuff would be like in live action this is the movie for you. Otherwise, don't bother.
Long Shot (2019)
A fun if slight political comedy
This movie is a wish-fulfillment fantasy in one of two different ways. One, you're familiar with; the schlubby, unattractive fat guy finds love with a woman who is way out of his league. (This is somewhat helped by the fact that in this movie, Seth Rogan's character is clearly a talented writer which, at least, gives him some redeeming qualities).
The second wish fulfillment fantasy is that a good honest politician can succeed in politics if their heart is in the right place. Much is made of the fact that Theron's character has to carefully control her image and compromise to succeed as a woman in the world of politics.
But in the end, any insight into this double standard is cast aside when Theron's character does the right thing, with potentially politically ruinous consequences, and is rewarded for her goodness with the presidency. The movie spreads the message that all you need to succeed is to do the right thing and you will be magically rewarded with success. It's a message that , in our current political climate, I find a bit naive, and prevents this movie, despite some good jokes from being better than it is.
Kamera o tomeru na! (2017)
A zombie comedy that's more about the comedy then the zombies
It's hard to talk about this movie without spoiling it, so I won't event try. The first forty minutes or so of the film is a one-take zombie movie where a deranged director attempts to add verisimilitude to his cheesy movie by causing a zombie apocalypse. It seems a little cheesy at first as it quickly becomes clear that what seems like the typical flaws of an independent movie are very much intentional.
After that, the film changes gear as we see that the events we have been watching are a film within a film. In fact, we find that the zombie movie is a tv film being made as a live broadcast for a new television station. The antagonist becomes the protagonist, a director who is hired for his speed and willingness to work for cheap rather than his artistic ability. His abilities are soon put to the test as everything that can go wrong during the shooting does, meaning that the director has to resort to drastic improvisation to save his project.
Not only is this movie funny but it is a touching look at the low-budget filmmaking process. The movie is really a film about the people behind the scenes of a film and how they work together to make a movie work. If there's any message to take from "One Cut of the Dead", it's really how artistry can be found in even the slightest of films.
Us (2019)
Us: A great slice of horror
Let's get right down to it: Is this movie as good as "Get Out"? No, but "Us" is still a great horror film by any stretch of the imagination.
As you've seen from the trailers, "Us'" focuses on a family who is menaced by monstrous doppelgangers of themselves. It begins in 1986, where young Adelaide encounters a duplicate of herself in a funhouse, an event that traumatizes her. Years later, Adelaide is a wife and mother visiting her of family home. Unfortunately, she once again finds herself menaced by her look-alike, now backed up with a twisted replica of Adelaide's family.
There are some stabs (pun intended) at social commentary but, unlike "Get Out" , they don't really go to the meat of the story. Really, the horror here is more psychological, dealing with the relationship between the characters and their duplicates. The actors here have to pull of double duty here, which they do superbly, adding humanizing touches even when they are playing monsters. The reveal of where the duplicates come from does not make a ton of sense but by that point you will be so engrossed you won't care.
Captive State (2019)
Captive State: When metaphor replaces story
This movie had the potential to be a good alien invasion film: Set several years after aliens conquer Earth, this film focuses on a Chicago neighborhood where a resistance cell is planning to fight back.
The problem is that the film is too grim and cheerless for its own good. Admittedly, there are a lot of excellent sci-fi films that have a similar tone (see Blade Runner). However, those movies also had strong character beats and great performances.
Meanwhile, this film can't even decide who the main characters are. The film begins by following John Goodman and Ashton Sanders' respective characters. There is a ten minute long sequence introducing a mostly new cast of characters over a half hour into the film. We don't spend enough time with any one character to get emotionally invested in them and, as a result, there's no emotional investment in the final product. This makes the film a rather dreary affair, no matter who lives or dies, the audience doesn't care.
Cold Pursuit (2019)
You think you know where this is going-
There is a belief that all Liam Neeson films are the same and this movie is completely aware of it. It starts out like a typical Neeson film: Liam Neeson play Nels Coxman, (pun very much intended) a snowplow driver, out for revenge on the death of his son. And as the movie goes along, little by little the kills get more ridiculous, the plot becomes increasingly silly and then you realize that -- you're watching a comedy. By then the this act rolls around the movie has become a straight up spoof which acknowledges the ridiculousness of its plot. Not every joke lands and it goes on a bit too long, but kudos for trying something new with an old formula.