When the trailer from Uncut Gems came out it said from the directors of Good Time, Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie, which was great. It’s about a character getting into increasing worse situations. The look of Uncut Gems looked similar to Good Time and all the sudden Adam Sandler shows up an screen with dark glasses, earrings, a leather jacket, and a decent accent. Sandler was in a gritty drama where he plays a jewelry store owner and gambler. I got immediately excited because Sandler was really acting and doing something outside of his comfort zone.
Adam Sandler is incredible to watch on screen in this movie. He is Howard Ratner, a smooth talking guy, who no matter how many bad choices he makes and what he says, you still root for him. It’s hard to believe you are watching Adam Sandler in this because he completely embodies the character he is playing. He uses his comedic talent to add levity to tense situations and it works so well. His life is so chaotic the audience can see it will end badly but they still have hope things will work out.
He has a smile in this movie that is creepy because the audience isn’t sure what he will do next. There a lot of camera angles looking up at Sandler as he stares forward and he looks like he’s about to kill someone. I never thought Adam Sandler could look intimidating but there are many instances of it. He has emotional range which we’ve seen in other dramas like Punch-Drunk Love and The Meyerowitz Stories. While his career started in comedy he has a future in other genres for sure. I hope he does more movies like this.
Idina Menzel plays Sandler’s wife and she is unlike anything we’ve seen her do as well. She plays someone resentful of Sandler but a very strong person. LaKeith Stanfield plays Sandler’s somewhat business partner who brings big spenders to Sandler’s jewelry shop. He gives a subtle performance like in Get Out and it’s great. Basketball player Kevin Garnett plays himself and someone interested in a rare item the Sandler possesses. For someone who isn’t an actor Garnett gives a real and convincing performance. The way he worships the item that he wants is hypnotic and he has decent range as an actor.
The movies opening and closing images are parallel which is very clever. The ending of this movie is so abrupt that it takes a minute to realize it actually happened. From a story standpoint it's not all that surprising that it happened. This is a must see for Adam Sandler’s amazing performance to the Safdie brothers great writing and directing. 🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔
The Rise of Skywalker is the conclusion to not only the sequel trilogy but the entire nine film Skywalker saga. So then why doesn’t it feel like the conclusion has as much emotional weight as it should? As a movie just on its own, Rise of Skywalker feels a little reminiscent of Return of the Jedi. It has similar themes about conflicting choices and light vs dark. Rey and Kylo Ren deal with this just as Luke did in Return of the Jedi. They setup Rey’s doubts in the previous movie but Kylo’s could have been way more developed. This movie throws a lot of plot at the audience which feels somewhat rushed. There are good ideas establishes but they weren’t developed over the trilogy so they don’t feel as important as the script is trying to make them. Rise of Skywalker feels like it’s trying to undo a lot of The Last Jedi plot points to make everything have weight, like famous bloodlines and Jedi legends.
A lot of characters in this movie have no purpose and nothing to do. They bring back Lando Calrissian and he served no purpose other then he’s another character from the original trilogy. They bring back an old villain as the true mastermind and it’s Emperor Palpatine. The scenes with him is pretty creepy and actor Ian Mcdiarmid reprises his role. He does a great job as always, giving a very theatrical performance. It was a nice idea to bring him back but it felt like they were trying to cancel out Snoke. He kinda comes out of nowhere and it feels tacked on that he’s back.
Finn and Poe really have nothing to do in this movie. Finn is still pining for Rey and has one or two other subplots set up that never go anywhere and Poe is this just there to fly his X-wing. They attempt to give C-3PO something to do with this movie and they set up some sort of consequences but it’s completely negated afterwards. C-3PO is a little sarcastic toward the whole situation and it is a little funny. However everyone kind of ignores and rags on him. He has had enough of their crap and it’s funny in a kind of tragic way.
Now something the the writers did well was continue using the mind connection between Rey and Kylo. It’s to the point we’re they can fight each other without being in the same room. There’s one scene where they fight and the camera keeps transitioning between both their locations seamlessly. Kylo even grabs something off of Rey’s neck. It’s very reminiscent of A Nightmare on Elm Street when Nancy pulls part of Freddy’s shirt out of her dream. This is a good example of an idea established in the previous movie and continuing to expand on the idea. A lot of things in The Rise of Skywalker should have been done this way instead of rushing plot points. With the amount of information this movie throws at the audience and how it tries to makeup for the unimportance of themes from the Last Jedi, this movie is a lot of fanservice and almost feels like fan fiction.
The sequel trilogy feels like it doesn't fully fit as fluently into the Skywalker saga as the rest of the movies. Even Rogue One and Solo feel more apart of the story. The sequel trilogy also makes a lot of sacrifices and other events from previous movies less important. One problem with this trilogy is that the story wasn’t planned from the beginning. The story should feel like one big movie broken up into three parts but it doesn’t. It feels like the writers and producers just made the story up on the spot without a clear endgame. The Force Awakens is a rehash of A New Hope essentially. The Last Jedi brought up interesting ideas and felt like a real film on its own but got a lot of backlash from fans. The Rise of Skywalker was an attempt to please fans, trying to makeup for The Last Jedi and give an over forty year story a satisfying conclusion but can’t because of the lack of story planning. The original trilogy was unlike anything of its time and was a huge success. The prequels told the backstory like George Lucas always wanted to so the first six movies feel like a complete story. The sequel trilogy was trying to capture that spark and success of the original but it’s like trying to strike gold twice in the same spot. It’s really hard to do and can fail. The sequel trilogy feels like a repeat of the original because it’s hard to have big stories in the Star Wars universe without having certain things in it like Jedi, sith, stormtroopers, Star destroyers, etc, so ideas are kind of limited. Smaller stories that fill in gaps in the franchise are good but they have to be about things the fans want. Rogue One answered a question no one was asking and Solo was a story people wanted but suffered from behind the scenes problems.
So for the Rise of Skywalker trying to do so much, it has character stories wasted like Kylo Ren’s. The character had so much potential but was inconsistent. Rey has the most character development and her overall story is solid. The villains were lacking and too familiar. The acting is great from Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver. The fight scenes and set pieces were mostly impressive. There are some great cameos from the Star Wars universe but the story and writing are the biggest problem. The wasted potential and inconsistent plot will annoy hardcore fans but casual fans will probably enjoy it. Having scene the movie twice I do get some enjoyment out of it but there’s not enough here to be a satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga. 🍔🍔 and 1/2🍔
Unfortunately, this is still a man dominated world and women still aren't treated fully as equals. The world of broadcast news is especially like this and Fox News stands out above most. Roger Ailes was the head of Fox News had a certain image for news anchors. Bombshell shows how women are treated at Fox News by both Roger Ailes and the male anchors.
This movie shows women being belittled, put down, and sexually harassed by Roger Ailes and the male anchors. John Lithgow plays Roger Ailes and he looks almost identical. The prosthetics are amazing. You would believe Lithgow really was that fat. He plays a very manipulative person and he’s very good at convincing female anchors to do whatever he wants. He offers to get them what they want in exchange for “loyalty”. The women want careers and success so they sacrifice their morals.
This movie focuses on three women at Fox News who are at different stages of their careers. Nicole Kidman who plays Gretchen Carlson, an anchor who once had a prime spot but now is in a dead airtime and on the way out. Charlize Theron plays Megyn Kelly, who is at the top of her career, and Margot Robbie plays Kayla Pospisil, an intern wanting to advance her career. She is based on many people at Fox News and isn't a real life person, but a representation. Kidman is trying to stay relevant and keep some morals by doing stories about powerful women and things like that. She hates how it’s a male dominated work environment and wants the disrespect to end. She tries to sue Roger Ailes for harassment directly instead of suing Fox News which is smart but she is worried no one will back her up. Kidman really shows someone trying to thrive in an environment that has forgotten her and is ignoring her.
Charlize Theron is almost unrecognizable as Megyn Kelly with both makeup and performance. Her accent is subtle yet so different from her normal accent that if you didn’t know she played Kelly you would think it was a different actress. Kelly is at the height of her career and gets scrutiny for interviewing Trump with unfavorable questions then Trump tweeting about her. She has respect at Fox News for the most part but is frustrated when Roger Ailes dismisses her complaints about Trump and when she has to do stories that go against her morals. She was harassed years ago by Ailes but never came forward. She chose a successful career over morality. She dealt with the conflict for many years.
Margot Robbie is great as a young, naive intern at Fox News. She starts out working for Nicole Kidman but tries to work for Charlize Theron because she is in a better time slot and wants to move up the ranks. She goes to see Roger Ailes and is forced to do questionable things for him, but does it to further her career. She realizes what’s happening before it’s too late for her.
All the other female employees at Fox News react very hostile toward Kidman and Theron when they talk about being sexually harassed. They keep saying not to rock the boat and think it’s a threat to all women and Fox News and are worried about their careers. Even when Roger Ailes is being sued a lot of the women at Fox News still support him because they feel like they have to. This movie is important and shows how women are unfairly treated in the workplace. John Lithgow and Charlize Theron are certainly the standout performances. 🍔🍔🍔🍔
When a sequel was announced to the original Jumanji, many fans were concerned and worried because how can Hollywood make anything close to the quality of the original? How can top Robin Williams? Well the answer is, you can't and shouldn't. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, was it's own movie while still being a sequel but not relying on references to the first one. It was a good movie about being in a video game. So when they announced s sequel, Jumanji: The Next Level, I was curious what more could they do with this story? The answer is something very clever.
This third Jumanji installment takes the video game plot further by turning it sideways. Spencer played by Alex Wolff is stuck back in Jumanji, so it's up to the rest of the group to get him out. But the game is malfunctioning and sucks Spencers grandpa Eddie played by Danny Devito and his friend Milo played by Danny Glover along with them. They think they know Jumanji but everything has changed.
One major selling point of this movie in all the trailers was Danny Devito and Danny Glover becoming Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Harts video game characters. Dwayne Johnson really took the time and effort to study Danny Devito's mannerisms and voice. He does an amazing and impressive job impersonating Devito. It's the best part of the movie in my opinion. Kevin Hart does a good job impersonating Glover as well and really personifies the character set up. This movie really puts the acting and performances ahead of the action scenes. There is plenty of action but it doesn’t feel over saturated. Jack Black is playing an African American character and the mannerisms are ok but stereotypical as he was with the teenage girl character. But they are very funny. Another result of the character switch is that Jack Black and Karen Gillan’s characters have to take charge because the other two are old men.
A lot of the jokes for Dwayne and Kevin’s characters are that they are old, confused, and don’t know what video games are and it’s hilarious. Awkwafina is a new game character and she is hilarious as always. The game has a river where if you jump in you switch characters, so it gave Karen Gillan and Jack Black a chance to switch roles.
Besides the performances, the plot of the movie is pretty interesting. Spencer doesn’t feel like match of a person unless he is in Jumanji because he was a big strong brave person unlike in real life. It was an escape which is something a lot of people deal with. Just like the previous Jumanji, this one was a surprise and had a good story and themes. It’s definitely a must see. 🍔🍔🍔🍔
The original Black Christmas came out in 1974 before Halloween or Friday the 13th and was an inspiration to the slasher genre. It featured sorority girls and they were competent characters who weren’t helpless. The killer had a signature kill style and would call the house using weird voices. The 2006 Black Christmas remake took a in-depth look at the killer and gave them a backstory. The 2019 Black Christmas however was a generic slasher movie devoid of almost any element of the original as well as anything that made the original special or unique.
Blumhouse produced and released the 2019 remake and its essentially a generic script with the Black Christmas title slapped on it. The movies biggest problem is it’s rated PG-13 when the original and 2006 remake were rate R. So therefore they can’t show blood or on screen kills. This makes the movie extremely boring. The movie has a sorority house filled with girls. The main girl played by Imogen Poots, who isn’t a stranger to horror movies. She has appeared in the remake of Fright Night and Green Room. There is one girl who is an activist and the rest are forgettable. Cary Elwes plays a college professor who is clearly hiding something.
So while this movie is generic and boring there are elements of an interesting concept that needed to be fully developed as its own movie. SPOILERS! The plot is that the founder of the college believes men were superior to women and left instructions to hypnotize men to become super strong and reach their full potential. There is a cult that follows this including the professor and the girls have to stop them. This is somewhat a current topic because some people unfortunately believe that me are superior to women. Now the end of the movie goes from boring to batshit insane in thirty seconds. All the girls from the sorority show up to stop the cult with various weapons including a Hanukkah menorah, and attack and stop the cult in an action scene reminiscing of the movie 300. This is my opinion is the only real entertaining part of the movie. The producers should have developed the cult plot and made a movie out of that instead of lazily calling it Black Christmas without having any real connections to its predecessors. 🍔
Richard Jewell was a security guard at Centennial Park in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1996 Olympics. He discovered an unattended bag under a bench that turned out to be a bomb and told the police to evacuate the park. He saved many lives but the FBI investigating looked to him as the culprit.
Clint Eastwood directed the movie and does a great job as always. The movie shows Richards life leading up to the bombing and past jobs. Richard is played by Paul Walter Hauser, who was in I, Tonya and BlacKkKlansman. Paul is good at playing characters that make the audience uncomfortable. The beginning of the movie tries to portray Richard as creepy, and a bit off. Sam Rockwell plays a lawyer in a firm Richard had worked for and was nice to Richard. Sam Rockwell is great, he plays someone who is driven by his principles and commands the screen.
There is an FBI agent played by Jon Hamm and A reporter played by Olivia Wilde who are hooking up and share information. Wilde plays a determined reporter who will do anything for the big story, including print something without full details. Wilde is great as someone willing to do anything for what she wants. Jon Hamm is after Richard and thinks he is a moron and did it for fame. His performance is very sarcastic and the audience really hates him. The FBI investigate Richard because he found the bomb and his past isn't great on paper. Once the story leaks Richard is hounded by press and Paul gives a very toned down and reserved performance. He hires Sam Rockwell as his lawyer when the FBI try to trick him into confessing. The movie really shows how the FBI tried to manipulate Richard and how the media turned on him so quickly after calling him a hero.
At this point Sam is the one getting angry and protecting Richard. He wonders why Richard doesn't show anger or emotion and Paul has a great and powerful outburst showing his feelings. Throughout the movie you sympathize with Richard, despite the rough beginning. This movie was really interesting to watch especially since I didn't know the story beforehand. It's worth a watch for it's great performances and to learn this true story. 🍔🍔🍔🍔
Waves stars Kelvin Harrison Jr. as a high school student who has a prominent wrestling future. Sterling K. Brown plays his tough but fair father. Alexa Demie plays Kelvin's girlfriend. Taylor Russell plays Kelvins sister. As Kelvin wrestles, goes to school, parties, and spends time with his girlfriend, life gets a little out of control.
Kelvin Harrison Jr. was also in a movie called Luce, where he plays someone who grew up in a worn torn country. He is great at giving intense performances without having to raise his voice or get angry. He gives the same performance in Waves as well but he also gets angry and can be powerful and booming. Alexa Demie who starred in Mid 90s and Brigsby Bear is very laid back and is good in this but not as memorable. SPOILERS! Kelvin and Alexa’s relationship is going good until Alexa gets pregnant and won’t get an abortion. The two argue and breakup which sends Kelvin into a downward spiral. He becomes obsessive and acts out. Plus to add on the stress he needs shoulder surgery and may not be able to wrestle anymore. Something happens with the result of Alexa dying and Kelvin going to jail.
This is where the movie focuses on the sister played by Taylor Russell, who has been in Lost in Space on netflix and the movie Escape Room, and her reaction and coping with her brother gone and parents arguing and the family almost falling apart. She giving a very numb performance which fits perfectly for the situation. A guy at school played by Lucas Hedges talks to the sister Taylor and the movie shows scenes of them getting to know each other and budding relationship. At the is point it feels almost like a different movie. When the movie was focusing on Kelvin it gave almost no screen time to Taylor. Kelvin is only shown once more in the movie at the end. The movie even goes and focused on Lucas dealing with his estranged father dying of cancer. This is a character that the audience is introduced to a little more than halfway into the movie. While Lucas Hedges gives a good performance I feel the movie isn't sure who it should focus on now that Kelvin is gone and this could have been to separate movies with a little more development. So while the story and performances were well done the script has great themes but loses focus half way through in my opinion. 🍔🍔🍔
There are many kids movies out there, and some are great with content for all ages. Then there are some the don't try at all and pander to the lowest common denominator. Then there's Playmobil: The Movie... Playmobil is a kids toy of opposable figures and locations not unlike Lego. This review will contain SPOILERS. First off if anyone has seen the trailer for this movie it depicts the main character as a spy named Rex Dasher voiced by Daniel Radcliffe. The trailer is completely misleading because that character is only in the movie for at most fifteen minutes. But we will return to Rex Dasher.
The movie starts out in live action with a brother and sister. The sister is played by Anya Taylor-Joy. She got a passport and wants to travel before college as she is telling her brother. The house is very bright and colorful. They live in New York City. Then a very generic song starts about adventure and wonder. Every “song” in this movie is the actors talking while music plays. No actual singing occurs. After the happy go lucky song stops the scene immediately cuts to night with police sirens and a cop telling the girl that “there has been an accident” They’re parents who are never shown have been killed offscreen in a car accident in a movie advertised as an animated spy adventure! Remember this is also a kids movie. The movie cuts to four years later and the house has become devoid of color and Anya has become jaded and cynical. She gets in an argument with the brother and he runs away to a toy exhibit that has Playmobil in it. Anya catches up to the brother and as they are arguing more a Playmobil lighthouse lights up out of nowhere and a rainbow shoots out of it and the next scene is now animated in the Playmobil world. There is new explanation how or why they are there. It takes about twenty minutes to get to the animated world that the movie trailer suggests. This movie is also one hour and fifty minutes which is long for a movie like this.
So once Anya and here brother land in the Playmobil world she looks like herself as a Playmobil figure and her brother is a Viking. They have landed in the middle of a Viking-pirate war. There is a clever scene of Anya trying to walk with her less-opposable body. The brother gets kidnapped by pirates and they teleport away. Anya is on her own now as she sees signs for other towns or play sets in Playmobil. This is stolen right from the Lego movies. Anya runs into a guy named Del voiced by Jim Gaffigan, who is funny enough for a low rate kids movie. He is improvising since I’m pretty sure the writers probably didn’t develop his character.
Cut to the Roman civilization world and it turns out the brother was captured by King Maximus voiced by Adam Lambert. Cue a generic bad guy song which is once again just talking with music over it. Kenan Thompson plays a pirate lord who helps the brother escape. Back to Anya and Del as Anya asks Del for help to find his brother in return for gold that Anya found in the Viking-pirate war.
Del owes money to a crime lord named Glinara. Every new scene in this movie feels like a new plot, forgetting about characters for thirty minutes at a time. This movie has Attention Deficit Disorder.
Del tells Anya he has a friend who can help steal something of value because she has no more gold. This is where they get the help of Rex Dasher. The guy that the trailer says the movie is about. Daniel Radcliffe is having fun with his lines and is funny for a juvenile audience. They steal the thing and Rex disappears for the rest of the movie. Del and Anya get captured and see Glinara who is a Jabba the Hut looking creature with fins. They get separated and Anya ends up in a fairy land. A fairy voiced by Meghan Trainor sings a generic song about helping and friendship and teleports Anya to her brother. Once again every new scene is it’s own subplot forgetting about the previous plot threads.
So everyone defeats Maximus and this seemed to be the adventure that Anya wanted so that’s the poor excuse for a lesson this movie tries to teach. What I deciphered from the movie was that once Anya's lust for adventure was fulfilled that she can go back to her miserable life I guess. This movie has no idea what audience it’s trying to relate to, there is really nothing for adults, and little kids might like the animation but not follow the lack of story. There is no direction and there are subplots that are unresolved. There is barely any ironic enjoyment and that enjoyment comes from Daniel Radcliffe just acting the thin character that was written for him with what seems to be sarcastic enthusiasm. I don’t recommend this movie for children, and for adults looking for a "so bad it’s good movie", the Rex Dasher scenes are the only ones. 1/2 🍔
Big business has taken advantage off the public in the past. Dark Waters is about a chemical company that made Teflon that has been dumping hazardous chemicals in a West Virginian town for over 40 years. Mark Ruffalo plays a lawyer for a firm who represents the chemical company and when a local farmer seeks his help, he uncovers the truth and looks to take on the company.
Mark Ruffalo gives a good performance but he gives every performance in his usual demeanor. Tim Robbins plays his boss who also gives a good performance but nothing outstanding. Anne Hathaway is great as Mark Ruffalo’s wife and is stressed over how this trail that takes over 10 years, takes a toll on their family.
This is based on a true story which is incredible. This was also reminiscent of Erin Brockovich. It’s worth seeing but never fully wowed me. There have been many movies like this over the years. 🍔🍔🍔
Knives Out is a murder mystery that takes that those typical plot points and flips them on their head. it is also an homage to the Agatha Christie "who did it" stories. Writer and director Rian Johnson has made a really solid and tightly knit movie. Every plot point has a payoff. Every detail is crafted so carefully and intricately. The writing is clever because the audience thinks they are ahead of the characters in figuring out the plot but then the movie throws them 3 steps back. Christopher Plummer plays a mystery writer who is murdered and Rian Johnson uses that fact that the character is a mystery writer to the full extent.
This movie has an allstar cast including Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, and Katherine Langford. While every main actor gives a great performance, the 3 stand out performances belong to Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, and Chris Evans. Daniel Craig plays a world famous private investigator hired to solve the murder. His performance ranges from subtle to powerful and booming. He uses somewhat of a southern accent which is great because its very unlike most of his cool, collected characters he normally plays. He also has great comedic talent.
Ana de Armas plays the medical aid assigned to take care of Christopher Plummer and has been like part of the family. Ana de Armas has had minor roles in movies like Knock Knock, War Dogs, and Blade Runner 2049. Knives Out is her first starring role and she is amazing. She gets to really show her range as an actress. She will be starring in the upcoming Bond movie, No Time to Die along with Daniel Craig. Chris Evans gets to play the sassy, sarcastic grandson of Christopher Plummer. This is a nice change from the years he has played the honorable and pure hearted Captain America he's played for the last 8 years. It's nice to see him curse and be silly like he was in Not Another Teen Movie.
Rian Johnson has taken the murder mystery formula and turned it on its head, doing unconventional things plot wise. He also did the same thing in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. But both movies feel radically different even the Johnson used mostly the same writing style. The problem with this writing style for Star Wars is it's such a widely known and coveted property by the fans that the unconventional writing and going against the grain failed and left audiences divided. Add the fact that he had to come into an already established story from a different writer so by subverting expectations some plot points from The Force Awakens were cut short and had no real conclusion. Rian Johnson is a great writer but maybe not for Star Wars. Knives Out is definitely his best film to date and everyone should go see it. 🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔
Fred Rogers was a very influential person in the way he thought children and introduced them to adult concepts and real world events. There truly was no one else like him. In A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Tom Hanks plays a very convincing Mr. Rogers. He truly transforms and you don't see Tom Hanks anymore you see Fred Rogers. Matthew Rhys plays Lloyd Vogel, a journalist assigned to do an expose on Mr. Rogers. This is based on the real journalist Tom Junod who did an interview with Mr. Rogers in the late 90s and became friends with him.
Matthew Rhys’ performance really conveys how he has trouble expressing and dealing with feelings. His performance is so genuine without a lot of actual expression or emotion which is hard to do. The audience sees him come around at the end and embrace his emotions.
Mr. Rogers is used in a clever way in this movie. The movie opens up like on episode of the kids show as he introduces people on his special persons board. The reporter is on there and Mr. Rogers discusses that the reporter is having difficulties. The scene transitions are miniatures and puppets like the show as well. It’s like the whole movie was an episode of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. When the reporter interviews Mr. Rogers, Mr. Rogers questions him about his life and troubles. He dodges questions when he is asked about personal trauma or negative things. Mr. Rogers also uses his puppets as symbols for different emotions. This is a very complex and layered movie. I highly recommend it. But for people looking for a movie about Mr. Rogers entirely they should watch the documentary that came out in 2018, Won’t You Be My Neighbor. 🍔🍔🍔🍔
Honey Boy is about a child actor with a slightly abusive and alcoholic father. Written by Shia LaBeouf and based on his own childhood, Honey Boy is one of Shia LaBeouf’s best films. He plays his own father. This is an incredibly personal story for him. He is almost unrecognizable in this role.
Themes of addiction and unfulfilled dreams are shown throughout the movie. Shia LaBeouf playing a failed actor whose son gets famous and essentially pays the bills. Shia is also a recovering alcoholic and a former convict so he finds difficulty getting a job. That frustration is shown throughout the movie by Shia’s performance. He is also verbally and slightly physically abusive to his son.
Lucas Hedges plays the 17 year old son, still an actor but also an alcoholic like his father. Hedges really portrays the trauma of his abnormal childhood and abusive father. Lucas Hedges is good at playing characters dealing with addiction or trauma or personal distress. I wish they showed more of Lucas Hedges in the film. 🍔🍔🍔🍔
Frozen was one of the most popular and one of the highest grossing animated Disney movies of all time. Of course there was a lot of hype and expectations for the sequel. Frozen 2 expands on the story of the first while making the story bigger than the main characters and about more than their problems. The movie explains more about Elsa’s past and gives her a true purpose. Plus the audience figures out the plot just as the characters do. Unlike the first movie the audience figures out the plot a lot faster than the characters and they have to wait for the characters to catch up which is frustrating.
The elements of nature are attacking Arendelle and Elsa and Anna have to figure out why. Discovering the past helps save the future as Elsa and Anna go on a path of discovery while being confident and headstrong. There is a typical romantic subplot where Kristoff wanting to propose to Anna and is too nervous. Some of the Olaf bits are funny but some are also annoying. He is a bit inconsistent in this movie. There is one interesting camera effect when Olaf is running from something and the camera uses a first person gopro angle and I've never seen it done before in animation.
Finally the songs of the movie. This is a Disney movie so of course it has many musical numbers. Unfortunately this is where inconsistencies arise once more. Some songs felt forced and unnecessary while the other songs were amazing and catchy. It was like every other song was great. Overall I recommend Frozen 2, despite its inconsistencies it’s still a more interesting movie in my opinion. 🍔🍔🍔
In 1966 the Ford motor company set out to build a car that could beat Ferrari at the Le Mans 24 hour race in France. They hired Caroll Shelby played by Matt Damon, who in turn convinced British car racer Ken Miles played by Christian Bale to design and build a car capable of winning. Damon and Bale have great chemistry in the movie. They are the 2 best performances in the movie and the audience can tell they are dedicated to their cause.
Director James Mangold, who recently directed Logan, really captures the intensity of racing in Ford vs Ferrari. Every scene of car racing is exhilarating and powerful. The audience feels like they are in the car with the driver.
Josh Lucas plays one of the Ford executives and the main antagonist. He is against Ken Miles driving for Ford for Le Mans because he doesn’t fit the Ford look according to him. Once Shelby and Miles build a car that’s fast enough Josh Lucas keeps interfering and micromanaging at every turn. Henry Ford the 2nd is skeptical at first of Shelby and Miles ability but ultimately comes around. When Ford visit the test garage to see the progress of the car Shelby takes him on a test drive. Ford's reaction afterwards is genuine and passionate and he believes the car is fast enough to beat Ferrari. This movie is great and intense at times. The ending is a little lackluster after such a high point. 🍔🍔🍔
A good sequel should expand on the story of the original without repeating the story of the original. It should also be able to survive on its own. Doctor Sleep does just that. In this sequel to The Shining film, the audience really gets to see more about the shining, how the powers work, and other characters with this power. Ewan McGregor is great as an adult Danny Torrence and Rebecca Ferguson is fun and creepy as Rose the Hat.
Writer and director Mike Flanagan was a great choice for this movie because of his work on the Netflix show, The Haunting of Hill House, and the movie Hush. He knows how to film horror and create a scary atmosphere. The movies almost 3 hour runtime left me still wanting more and I was never bored or looking at my phone for the time. If the audience doesn’t feel the movies runtime than the writer/director is doing something right.
SPOILERS!! This movie does recreate some scenes from the Shining and they are recreated beautifully. The movies final act is at the Overlook Hotel and it’s like the audience never left 39 years ago. From the hallway, to the dead hotel guests, to the blood river, and room 237, the filmmakers took extra care to recreate everything. I definitely want more from this world. 🍔🍔🍔🍔
