Change Your Image
rechtienejalec
Reviews
American Dad!: Kloger (2017)
This is an odd one folks
American Dad is one of those shows that don't go super far all the time, but when they do, they take it to the extreme. This is probably one that I would not recommend showing to others if they are new to the show, there are some kinda "disturbing" scenes. The animators were having a field day here. Apart from what I just said, this isn't a bad episode, in fact it's an overall decent episode. The Steve storyline was definitely a simple funny one, alongside Hayley's pinkeye gag. The highlight of the episode for me was definitely the solitary confinement scene. Roger just losing his mind was absolutely hilarious.
Overall, good episode. The Klaus and Roger dating thing was funny, but at times a little unsettling, while the Steve plot was a worthy side plot, with a small third plot about Hayley's pink eye bringing some laughs.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)
Good Movie! An unapologetically dark and gripping look at an authoritarian regime, but not flawless.
I was pleased by this movie. This movie was probably the darkest Hunger Games yet, likely due to its more archaic technology used relative to the previous films. The acting was goods. Say what you want about Zelger, but her acting in this film was definitely a highlight. This film also gives us a better look at the function and reasoning behind this autocratic government, which is build under the principle that "humans are inherently violent, and we need to be reminded of who we are." This movie is not flawless though. There are 2 major flaws with this movie: 1) An overly confusing plot, and 2) Subpar story arcs. The plot was a lot like Oppenheimer, where it is a 3 act structure, yet the most action happens in the second act, and the third act is the aftermath. With Oppenheimer though, it at least remained grounded through the entire movie with its philosophical and ethical questions. In this Hunger Games movie, the third act seems to diverge into something really weird with not much direction, and it really only makes sense when it is over. Now to Snow's story arc; it is completely lopsided. This movie is supposed to be a villain origin story, yet we see him as a protagonist all the way until the very end, with not much really much leading up to it, other than maybe a few warning signs. Lucy Grey's story arc is dull too. Why does she just all the sudden leave and try to kill Snow? Her purpose really was as a prop to Snow's already flawed story arc. There doesn't seem to be that character that you can really follow. Overall though, it is a good movie that is definitely worth a watch. The story is gripping, the villain is absolutely crazy (the scientist), and the dystopian themes are very convincing where you almost find yourself rationalizing the tyrannical government.
American Dad!: Gold Top Nuts (2022)
Another great surrealist episode
This is one of those episodes that kinda makes you think. It's mysterious, but also funny as hell. This episode is the definition of existentialism, where the family's memory is erased and they have to create a new reality based on their own observations. The fact that they see that commercial and view it as humanity is pretty funny too, as they begin to warship the brand of peanuts and then they leave the island to spread their religion, only for the new lighthouse to be a restaurant. This episode is a great example of how American Dad has still managed to write extremely creative and inspired plots in its long run.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Absolutely genius! Watch it!
This summer movie season has been pretty freaking good. First we got Guardians of the Galaxy 3 (another 10/10 movie for me), and now this? Where do I even start. The cinematography is just incredible! The close up cameras, the black and white scenes, and the distorted sounds just make the entire movie very unsettling, in a good way. This take on an incredibly complex and difficult subject was incredible. The acting was also very good, particularly the parts of Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), and Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.). The film score made the movie incredibly intense, with distorted noises and clashing dissonances, and a lot of the philosophical concepts in this movie are mind boggling.
If there are any criticisms, it would have to be the plot being a little hard to follow, and that is being extremely picky. Another criticism would be their interpretation of Harry Truman being a little immature and it kind of distracts from the movie. Both of those criticisms however were very picky.
Overall, great movie! It will stick with you after you watch it. Some of the scenes are incredible painful to watch that leave you in absolute shock about the horrors of atomic bombs, as it is meant to. Watch it!
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Yes it's funny and entertaining, but it is overall meaningless film
I had high hopes for this movie, but it ended up being one of the worst Marvel movies to date. Thor has long been one of my favorite MCU characters, but this film finally made me realize how washed his character arc is. My biggest complaint is there is almost no plot or overlying theme. "Love" seems to be such a vague theme that it doesn't seem like a theme at all. Another complaint was the meaningless cameos, especially with the Guardians of the Galaxy. I love the guardians, they're probably my favorite franchise in the MCU, but they did NOT need to be in this movie. They contributed very little to the "plot" and were completely out of character in the little amount of time they had in the beginning, and then they just left! If they really wanted the guardians in this film, they should've given them a bigger role. Rocket and Thor were like bread and butter in Infinity War and Endgame, why not continue that if the guardians are in the film at all. It leads me to think it was just a marketing device the entire time.
Of course this film is not all bad. Some highlights were as much as the humor was a bit overbearing, it was still funny. I got a good laugh at the goats and the kids doing the magic. I also believe Korg and Valkyrie were good in this movie and I hope to see them more. This movie also didn't drag and was overall decently entertaining.
Still, this movie was way below Marvel's high bar, and was just mediocre at best as a movie overall.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Fun and entertaining, don't expect much more
This movie was fun. Paul Rudd is as funny as usual, there were plenty of colorful characters and trippy and imaginative ideas. We see the bizarre side of marvel with the slime creature that talks about holes... hmm. Embrace the absurd.
Kang seems like a really scary villain that will ultimately lead the MCU to a similar fate as the blip. I recommend going into this movie knowing that this is just a fun movie, not designed to be emotional, deep, or thought provoking, and you may enjoy the movie more.
This movie isn't without flaws. The big thing is the plot is a mess. Similar story to Thor: Love and Thunder and a lot of recent marvel movies. They have a very messy plot that leaves you confused. There are too many pieces to put together and ultimately it really isn't even worth it to try to understand all the pieces.
Ultimately, it's not a bad movie, and it is worth watching, but don't expect to be blown away.
Jim Jefferies: High & Dry (2023)
Decent, but not flawless. Second half wasn't great.
I like Jim Jefferies, he seems to have some solid material. The main flaws I see are a weak second half and really weird pacing. Jim Jefferies has a tendency to overextend jokes well past their welcome (could be to being on the spectrum, which from experience makes it hard to move on to the next subject without finishing the first), and that seems to be especially prevalent in this one. There were some really solid jokes in here, like the Koala bear one, the Bachelor, the Swedish babies, and a few more. These jokes are solid dark humor, yet Jefferies decides to spend almost half of the special about his sex life with his wife. First off, nobody needed to know about all of that, he got way, WAY, too descriptive. Second, too long with little laughs. It was just 15-25 minutes of pure low brow humor with no clever twist. Overall though, this is a special worth watching, except you may want to skip the bit about his sex life.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
My expectations were high, and they went above and beyond!
As much as the first half kinda dragged. (Come on we knew they would bring Rocket back they didn't need to keep us waiting for an hour), the second half completely went above and beyond, giving the honorary 10/10 review from me, a review I do not take lightly. The story was as much heartbreaking as it was just fun and hilarious. The highlight of the movie is the focus on Rocket's story arc. Man that was extremely tragic, dude's been through hell and back. Him releasing all the animals and figuring out that he is in fact, a raccoon, was pretty heartwarming, and the fact he went James Bond in front of the high evolutionary was pretty badass (idk why I just love that character). The interactions between Drax, Quill, Nebula, and Mantis were beyond hilarious throughout the entire movie. Although the movie had some cliches, there were many unexpected moments, that made the end of the movie extremely satisfying. I know there will be no more of the franchise, I hope we see some of the characters play out in the future.
Explained: Political Correctness (2018)
Good take
I do appreciate how they explain PC and why it is such a hot button topic. I almost guarantee this episode will upset some people, but in a good way. Relatively neutral with maybe a slight lean towards the left, but I don't think it is so much so that it takes away from the great information. The biggest thing that stuck to me is their take on conservative speakers on college campuses. It is easy to think that "hate" shouldn't be allowed on campus, yet at the same time there also needs to be free speech on campus in order to get an input that you may not otherwise get from a person who agrees with you, therefore strengthening your argument. DEFINITELY WORTH A WATCH.
Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill (2022)
I don't think it was as bad as everyone says, but not anything great.
I am a fan of Bill Burr, but some of his other stuff is better.
The highlight of the night was Bill Burr's and Wolf's appearances. The lowlight of the night was the Ronny Chieng.
I had laughs, but I laugh at everything because I'm dumb. I feel like none of the comedians had enough time so it felt too fast paced and none of the comedians could really get a story going.
Things I liked were Wolf's Joking about the women's rights movement and how the US really is behind because white women aren't willing to do the work.
Dave Attell and Jeff Ross' bit I found funny. Full of one liners and insult comedy and simple fun. Really the only appearance that benefited from the short run time.
Tolev was pretty bad. Her opening got a chuckle out of me but ultimately it was just 10 minutes of her talking about sex. She had the energy though and I feel she probably has some other stuff that was good.
Jimmy Carr was just Jimmy Carr. If you like him you would like his bit, if you don't, then you wouldn't.
The worst was Chieng. He literally just sang Teenage Dreams in a silly way. It went on way too long and there was nothing else to the bit.