Godzilla King Of The Monsters

POSITIVES…

  • People asked for it, so there are definitely much more screen time given to the giant monsters in this movie.

  • Did you want to see more giant monster vs giant monster battles? You got that here, and wow are those fights great to see on screen.

  • Visuals. Spectacular visuals. Jaw-droppingly spectacular visuals. This movie absolutely delivers on the spectacle, and makes it really hard to look away from the screen.

  • The sheer sense of size and scope of these giant monsters and all the destruction that are caused because of them, are simply incredible to look at.

  • Story has some solid ideas that I would like to see this franchise of movies explore more of.

  • Vera Farmiga’s character is fascinating, and Millie Bobby Brown also showed off some stellar acting work.

NEGATIVES…

  • The story itself feels a little half-baked, and simplistic, and should have been much more interesting than what was given to us.

  • Heavy on the plot, light on the story telling.

  • There’s a lot of pandering to the audience here, which can only win so much favor before it all starts to feel a little unearned.

  • Lots of potentially interesting characters here, but unfortunately they aren’t fully fleshed out enough for me to care about what happens to them. The majority of them are just there as plot devices, or characters that need to constantly tell jokes; here’s looking at you Bradley Whitford.

  • Kyle Chandler’s character of Mark Russell is written to be such an important part of the movie, but I was just rolling my eyes every time he was on screen. All the things this movie does with his character were just cringe-worthy to me.

  • Once again I’m stuck with the comment of saying that this would have been a wonderful giant monster movie, if it wasn’t for all the human characters getting in the way.

P.S….

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

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Rocketman

POSITIVES…

  • Taron Egerton is amazing as Elton John, and does a wonderful job singing the songs. There are even times I thought it was Elton John on screen, but it’s all Taron.

  • As a musical biopic, it sidesteps the plot trappings of the genre, by embracing a very imaginative and energetic visual narrative that will surely keep grabbing your attention from beginning until the end.

  • Watching Elton John’s biographical story unfold in this way; liberties taken here and there, is fantastic, and probably an eye opener for many people who aren’t that familiar with his background history.

  • While the story is mostly focused on Elton John; which means that the supporting cast are really mostly in supporting roles, the movie incredibly still manages to give each one of them a strong presence in the narrative.

  • Speaking of supporting casts, the scenes involving Elton John and Bernie Taupin; played by Jamie Bell, are definite highlights of this film.

  • From the costumes, the locations, the scene transitions, to the dance numbers, I really couldn’t take my eyes off the screen.

  • I feel like I have to emphasize this, but this is a musical through and through. You don’t often see this kind of narrative in cinema much anymore.

NEGATIVES…

  • This is a musical through and through, which means that there will be people that just won’t connect with it.

  • There are some fanciful and whimsical stylistic touches in some of the plot narrative that might frustrate people looking for a traditionally told movie.

  • The last act did feel like it lost a little bit of its footing, into properly hitting the conclusion of the film.

  • While there are a lot of Elton John songs in the movie, I’m disappointed that for the majority of the time they are not performed in full during the segments that they are found in.

  • Some people might also get annoyed at the fact the songs are not done in chronological order with this movie.

  • It’s still a musical biopic, so the story can only get so fresh and creative to avoid those derivative feelings.

P.S….

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Booksmart

POSITIVES…

  • Movie follows that “one crazy night” premise, and it does so wonderfully.

  • This is an entertaining and humorous story, that tackles subject matters that High School teens probably would relate with.

  • The plot also goes above and beyond in having a solid thematic lesson that really delivers in a satisfying way by the end of the movie.

  • Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever make an awesome comedic duo, that are both willing to do outrageous things to make us laugh.

  • Dever plays the straight man to Feldstein’s more outgoing character to great effect.

  • The supporting younger cast also gets a lot of kudos from me, with Billie Lourd standing out as this over-the-top-but-in-a-hilarious-way character named Gigi. A lot of the crazy moments that got me laughing out loud did involve Gigi.

  • The adults in this story are good as well. There’s one notable funny scene involving Jason Sudeikis that’s definitely worth checking out.

  • While the main plot does involve kids doing dumb things, I thought this was a pretty clever movie anyway.

NEGATIVES…

  • Comedy is subjective, and I regret to say that this isn’t always a laugh-a-second kind of affair.

  • Still makes the mistake that a lot of comedies make, in when things get dramatically serious, it can get hard to easily return to that fun and stupid humor that you solely went into this movie for. It makes that attempt, but it’s not a smooth transition.

  • You’re definitely going to have to suspend your disbelief in many ways for this movie. How forgiving you are will probably determine how much you’ll like this. Just try and ignore all those logical flaws, and convenient plot turns.

  • Seemed to have taken a cue from Game Of Thrones’ last few seasons, in that travel time becomes irrelevant and something that’s supposed to be ignored. Admittedly it’s played off as a joke the first time it happens, but still… Hopefully that doesn’t bother you too much.

  • There’s some pandering to the audience here. Hopefully that doesn’t bother you too much.

  • Arguably, I would say that this movie also plays things much safer than you would have initially have thought it would have. Hopefully that doesn’t bother you too much.

P.S….

  • I suppose we can expect High School kids to try and top the “night before Graduation day” shenanigans found in the movie. My advice? Don’t.

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Brightburn

POSITIVES…

  • Superhero comic book origin tale, morphed into a Horror movie. It’s a spectacular premise of a genre mash-up. A teenager; Brandon Breyer, uses his superhuman powers for evil and not for good. It is an amusing meta concept, as there are blatant easter eggs to a certain DC comics character.

  • The scenes that are suspenseful and disturbing, which includes horrific death and destruction, are effective enough to justify the idea behind this movie’s premise.

  • There is a terrific sense of irony, when seeing the great visual effects that are usually found in comic book superhero movies, but used in a horror film such as this.

  • Scary movie jump scares that are used in this context. Kinda neat.

  • That final act is a fantastic roller coaster of wondering which direction the movie is going to go to conclude the story.

NEGATIVES…

  • Despite the fact the whole cast is great in this, I couldn’t help but be disappointed at the incredible lack of good character development for any of them. Well, maybe Elizabeth Banks’ character is the exception, but still…

  • How and why should I care about what happens to these characters when the movie doesn’t give me enough reason to do so?

  • Characters ended up just being plot devices to move the story along. Which is the unfortunate result of the movie using too much shorthand exposition that relies on the audience to fill in the gaps in story telling themselves.

  • Why should I care that this is the direction Brandon Breyer decides to go with his newly found powers? I feel like that’s an important factor that the movie only thinks it properly covered.

  • On paper, one can say that the theme of the movie is about “nurture vs nature,” but in all honesty, the movie doesn’t do enough groundwork with the material for that to be what it’s all about. It should be, but it’s not.

P.S….

  • I guess this is yet another movie universe where superhero comics never existed? They would have made good reference material for the family’s situation.

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Aladdin (2019)

POSITIVES…

  • As a fan of the 1992 original; plus the stage musical version from the theme park, this adaptation was familiar and different enough, that it succeeds as a good companion piece to the animated classic.

  • One of the main highlights of this version is Mena Massoud as Aladdin. That actor is charming as heck. Well casted.

  • I also liked that Aladdin gets to show off parkour skills in the movie.

  • The other main highlight is Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine. She also does justice to the character. Another role that’s well casted.

  • I also really liked the new song that Naomi gets to sing in this, called “Speechless.”

  • The chemistry between the two worked for me, which helped get me invested in their romantic plot.

  • Director Guy Ritchie does a great job of grounding the movie in some realism when necessary, but doesn’t shy away at all on the fact that this is a live-action cartoon and uses that to his advantage. So expect some liberties taken logically and culturally.

  • The story is still entertaining, and the songs are still very catchy. Now I also get to add that the dance numbers were also good to see here too.

  • It’s also funny at times, and I admit to laughing out loud for some of the humor. Along with the other cast members, Nasim Pedrad and Billy Magnussen were welcome to have in this movie in contributing to the comedy.

  • Visually, the movie is great to look at. The locations are great. The animal characters are awesome. Plus Magic Carpet is expectedly great.

  • Before you think I forgot to mention him, Will Smith was indeed good as the Genie. He did his own thing for the role differently enough in a nuanced way, when compared to the version that Robin Williams mastered.

  • As expected, the character of Genie added that extra boost of fun to the equation, and his chemistry with Aladdin is still good here.

  • The Jafar and Iago combo of characters; played respectively by Marwan Kenzari and Alan Tudyk, were portrayed a bit more reserved than their animated counterparts, but I thought it still worked well.

  • I liked that each of the main characters, shared commonalities to the overall theme of the story. The thematic message that I genuinely think is appreciatively more fleshed out here than in the ‘92 movie.

  • I also liked how all the main characters got a little bit more development to their background stories over their animated counterparts.

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s too bad Genie wasn’t in the movie as much as you think he should be.

  • Despite Genie’s chemistry with Aladdin, there weren’t enough scenes of them together to really capitalize on that fact.

  • Genie’s CGI character was hit and miss, here and there…

  • The third act of the movie didn’t always hit the landing in concluding some of the plot threads. It even got boring a few times, which ruined the energetic pacing of the first two acts.

  • That third act also includes an odd scene idea for a Jasmine solo number, that I don’t think worked at all.

  • A few plot turns were handled clumsily as well.

  • Plus there were some scenes that could only be viewed as pandering to an audience, and pushes your suspension of disbelief a little too far.

P.S….

  • Carpet makes a sand castle, and that’s just adorable.

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A Dog's Journey

POSITIVES…

  • If you liked the previous movie “A Dog’s Purpose,” then by all means you should see this.

  • If you are a huge fan of dogs, then by all means you should see this.

  • If you find comfort in the idea that your dog that has already passed away could be reincarnated just for your benefit, then by all means you should see this.

  • If you are the target audience for this, then expect a crowd pleaser, and probably a tear jerker of a movie.

  • Kathryn Prescott is really good in her role, and plays a sympathetic character that I found myself really invested with what happens to her.

  • The plot progression moves at a good pace, and despite the many cliche moments, it wasn’t hard for the movie to keep my attention.

  • Kudos to the dog actors. What a talented cute bunch to see perform on screen.

  • Is it cheating if I say that every scene involving dogs are just the best ones in the movie?

NEGATIVES…

  • Can’t really deny it, but it really is a derivative story.

  • There are some nitpicky plot things in this movie that kinda bugged me.

  • Story is arguably emotionally manipulative, and pandering.

  • Betty Gilpin’s character was much too cliche for my taste.

  • I never liked the nickname “Boss Dog”

P.S….

  • In all honesty, they should have switched the titles. This movie should have been “A Dog’s Purpose,” while the previous one should have been “A Dog’s Journey.”

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

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John Wick Chapter 3 Parabellum

POSITIVES…

  • If you liked the first two John Wick movies, then there’s no reason why you wouldn’t want to see this third installment.

  • You watch this movie to see Keanu Reeves as John Wick kick ass, and he definitely does that here. There’s a whole scene where he used knives, and another one where he used horses, and many more that you just have to see.

  • Action! Action! Action! From hand to hand combat, bladed weapons, to guns, and even the use of a book in a fight, there’s simply a lot of cool action fight sequences to be amazed at.

  • Several deaths were quite brutal to watch, but still oh so entertaining.

  • The dogs in this movie, were expertly included in one particular action sequence, and wow were they awesome.

  • New characters played by Asia Kate Dillon, Mark Dacascos, and Halle Berry, are great additions to this mythology.

  • Even Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman from “the Raid” and “the Raid 2” are in this too.

  • There were actually some good self-aware humor and meta jokes thrown into this movie that I thought were great.

  • The world building about all these assassins hit-men stuff once again gets more development to that whole thing, and only makes this franchise even more compelling.

NEGATIVES…

  • There were several scenes that required huge suspension of disbelief, that it boggles my mind as to how they could casually just ignore some real world factors.

  • I don’t know how to say this, but at a few points during the movie, I started to wish that they developed John Wick’s character much more than what has been given to us so far. Give Keanu Reeves more juicy material to do some dramatic acting, because right now all that’s expected of him is to just fight fight fight.

  • Had this complaint in the previous movie too, but John Wick needing to wear a bulletproof suit, come on now seriously?!

P.S….

  • Maybe it was a homage to how Bruce Lee fought Kareem Abdul Jabbar, but Keanu Reeves also gets to fight someone from the NBA, Boban Marjonovic!

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Pokemon Detective Pikachu

POSITIVES…

  • If you’re a fan of Pokemon, then this movie is clearly made for you.

  • If you have no knowledge of the world of Pokemon, there are still a lot to like about this movie.

  • All the pokemon references and easter eggs; as well as the pop culture stuff, are all very fun to see in general.

  • Kudos to the SFX team for bringing Pokemon to life on the big screen.

  • Detective Pikachu himself is super cute, and Ryan Reynolds voicing him is just so very entertaining.

  • Pikachu’s chemistry with Tim; played by Justice Smith, works really well, and is one of the main driving force to go through this movie.

  • The “solve the mystery” premise in itself is pretty solid, and should keep your attention.

  • Best scenes of the movie for me involved a mime character, and a set piece involving a forest.

  • The humor is generally good, and adds greatly to the entertainment factor.

  • There’s a plot reveal conceit regarding a certain character throughout the movie, that really amused me in how they tried to handle it.

  • This reminded me of a time when I was much much younger, being amazed and wowed in seeing the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” live-action movie in theaters way back in 1990. I think in a similar way, Detective Pikachu might be thought of just as fondly by today’s young generation, 30 years from now.

NEGATIVES…

  • Despite some creative plot reveals and whatnot, there’s a certain simplistic, predictable, and basic feel to the story telling, that constantly reminded me at how this movie is really still primarily catering to kids below 17 Years old.

  • There’s nothing in this movie that could truly be considered “challenging” in terms of what it brings new to the table.

  • A lot of those plot turns and reveals are purely in the realm of coincidences, and conveniences, as well as constantly using shorthand to explain away the world building and the character developments.

  • Speaking of which, Lucy Stevens; as played by Kathryn Newton, needs more development to her character. Some will argue that every character; short of Pikachu, general needs more time spent in the character development department.

P.S….

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Long Shot

POSITIVES…

  • As a movie that is a romantic-comedy, with socio-political commentaries, plus a mismatched couple premise, I found this to be perfectly fun and a crowd pleaser.

  • We all know Charlize Theron is a great actress, and it’s no exception here, but it’s always nice to see her do comedy.

  • Seth Rogen is…… Seth Rogen. He does what he does best.

  • The chemistry between Theron and Rogen here is solid, and the two of them are what makes this movie work as well as it does.

  • Rooting for this odd-pairing of a couple is what got me super invested with this movie.

  • It also has a good supporting cast, from June Diane Raphael, O’Shea Jackson Jr, Alexander Skarsgård, to Andy Serkis (who I didn’t even recognize!).

  • Boy II Men makes a fun cameo appearance.

  • Plus the movie soundtrack is also really good. My kind of jams.

  • The humor in this is definitely a lot of fun, and there were in fact several scenes when I actually laughed-out-loud.

  • Has just the right amount of comedic crudeness and steamy stuff.

  • I liked the thematic messaging of this story as well, which even includes some lessons that I was pleasantly surprised to see in this movie.

NEGATIVES…

  • The thematic messaging isn’t to everyone’s liking, and it does hit you over the head multiple times with no subtlety.

  • There are several unbelievable plot points that might make or break this movie for you.

  • Story is generally predictable, and follows very familiar plot tropes.

  • Certain characters are as cliche as it gets.

  • Like with many comedies, there’s that particular lull in the story where things get really serious. While not completely saying it’s a negative by itself, I kinda wanted to just have a laugh all the way through until the end.

P.S….

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