The Assistant

POSITIVES…

  • Julia Garner is great in a very nuanced, but emotionally effective role as Jane.

  • Gotta love the narrative that purposefully follows what everyday life must be like for an assistant, with a very fly on the wall feel.

  • Deliberately paced in a delicate way, with bits of important little details throughout that truly shapes what the premise is about. Once you understand, it’s easy to get invested with the plot.

  • Thematically has a very powerful message. I hope you don’t miss the point of the film, because it’s an important topic to be aware of.

  • There are a lot of seemingly innocuous moments that should resonate strongly, but one of the best scenes is the talk Julia Garner has with Matthew Macfadyen’s character.

  • If you get frustrated, upset, or angry, on behalf of Jane, then the film did in fact do its job properly.

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s purposefully a slow burn. Don’t get too bored now.

  • Not everybody is going to enjoy the narrative which involves seeing an assistant doing menial and soul crushing tasks for chunks of the movie.

  • Some might say that it’s too pessimistic of a film, with portrayals of work environment toxicity that may come off as too overtly on-the-nose.

  • Depending on how you take it, the ending might not be satisfying at all.

P.S….

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Seven stages to achieve eternal bliss

POSITIVES…

  • There’s a certain irreverent randomness throughout the whole movie. If you’re up for all that shenanigans, then I think you’d find things to like about this.

  • The comedy can get a bit dark and ridiculous at the same time, but I think this movie makes it work.

  • There are some outrageous memorable scenes, bits, and set pieces, that did make me laugh out loud.

  • It’s got a good solid cast that seemed game to the wackiness that is this movie.

  • Dan Harmon playing the detective, absolutely steals this movie.

  • Considering the premise, I think it’s safe to say you won’t see another movie like it.

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s a bit on the unconventional, deranged, weird, oddball side, and that might be a huge turn off.

  • Although I shouldn’t take it that seriously, there are a couple of plot holes that you really really really have to ignore, or it’s just going to absolutely break your suspension of disbelief.

  • There are moments where the movie thinks it’s so cute, precious, and clever… that it can get kinda annoying.

  • Sorry, but Kate Micucci and Sam Huntington were much too over the top for my taste.

P.S….

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I Still Believe

POSITIVES…

  • I’m a sucker for love stories that works for me, and this is one of those.

  • KJ Apa and Britt Robertson has great chemistry together. They make a cute couple to root for.

  • There’s a scene with a monologue about stars, God, and destiny, that I thought was poetically beautiful.

  • Gary Sinese. ‘nuff said.

  • I really also enjoyed the songs in this movie.

  • Whether you are or aren’t a Christian, I think you will find that the main message of this movie is laudable.

NEGATIVES…

  • Kinda wished they didn’t truncate the songs down too much. Play the whole song!

  • Based on a true story and all, but this is your generally predictable love story that you’ve seen multiple times before.

  • There are some plot turns and conveniences that were just too cliche for me.

P.S….

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Come To Daddy

POSITIVES…

  • This is an odd and weird movie. That is a compliment.

  • There tons of little fun set pieces, from that scene involving the line “Come To Daddy” being said, “raisin eyes,” to that whole sequence that includes the word “extrement,” and several more.

  • Plot turns, reveals, and decisions, that were pretty enjoyable to see play off.

  • Odd surprises that will make you wonder what’s going to happen next.

  • It’s vulgar, nasty, and violent. Fun stuff.

  • I don’t know if it’s a set or an actual location, but the house in the film is pretty cool.

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s odd and weird, so I suppose depending on your tastes, that can be seen as not being a compliment.

  • The content of this movie might be a little off putting for some. Not for everyone.

  • I can see people getting frustrated with this film.

P.S….

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Nobody Knows I'm Here

POSITIVES…

  • If you only know Jorge Garcia through the TV show “LOST,” then this movie should successfully let you know him in another light as the character Memo.

  • I liked Luis Gnecco as Memo’s uncle Braulio, who added some nice levity to the story.

  • The interactions between Memo and Marta are one of the plot elements that keeps the film interesting enough to watch.

  • There are some visual touches performed by Jorge Garcia, and by the film’s direction, that adds some extra elements that make the movie more charming to watch.

  • The themes and the messaging of the premise may be familiar, but it’s still very much worth exploring more.

NEGATIVES…

P.S….

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Shirley

POSITIVES…

  • Fascinating take on Shirley Jackson, writer of such works as “The Lottery,” “The Haunting Of Hill House,” and “Hangsaman.”

  • As a drama, the narrative makes things interesting by having fever-dream-like scenes, mixed in with some unpredictable random reactions and diatribes.

  • Elisabeth Moss is amazing as Shirley, and it can be hypnotizing to see how she plays the role.

  • Odessa Young is fantastic as Rose Nemser, and the interplay between her and Shirley is what makes this film worth checking out.

  • Michael Stuhlbarg is as great as always, playing the role of Shirley’s husband Stanley Hyman. His character only enhances the psychological madness of the film.

  • This film has nuanced themes about women in the mid-20th century that should be thought provoking.

NEGATIVES…

  • It has a slow burn to the pacing that might not work for some.

  • The narrative might be seen as tedious and rote.

  • Fact or fiction, there are some plot points that felt a little too cliche.

  • Not exactly what you could call an exciting and entertaining movie in the traditional sense.

P.S….

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The Vast Of Night

POSITIVES…

  • The main mystery itself kept me invested in wanting to see where the story goes.

  • Suspenseful tone is spot on.

  • Felt authentic for certain scenes, like I was watching a reenactment of something that actually happened.

  • There’s a uniqueness to how the narrative was handled for the premise.

  • Running. Lots of running.

NEGATIVES…

  • The first 20 minutes will really test your patience. Maybe the whole movie does.

  • There are visual stylistic choices that’s added to the narrative that I didn’t really care for.

  • Writing for the dialogue seemed a little overdone. Seemed like excuses to stretch the film out longer than it had to be.

  • Felt like they could have done this story in a 20 minutes short film, and we wouldn’t have missed too much.

P.S….

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Lost Bullet

POSITIVES…

  • As a crime thriller, it’s entertaining enough for what it is.

  • Vehicular stunt work. Looks all practically too, and felt like it. Good stuff.

  • A few stand out scenes involving hand to hand choreographed combat were pretty cool.

  • It has a sympathetic protagonist in Alban Lenoir as Lino, and you’re going to want to see how he pulls through by the end of the movie.

  • There were some clever stuff here and there that was fun to watch too.

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s just nothing special in that you’ve pretty much seen this movie before, that it becomes kinda forgetful.

  • A couple of plot conveniences and plot cliches. Meh.

  • Could have used more action sequences.

P.S….

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My Spy

POSITIVES…

  • If you’re looking for a decently family friendly film that has some action and comedy, then this might be what you’re looking for.

  • Dave Bautista may be typed cast in his roles, but he was really good in here as JJ.

  • The scene stealer in this movie however was Chloe Coleman as Sophie, who was amazing in this as the little kid.

  • Solid chemistry between Bautista and Coleman, and those two together is the main reason to seeing this movie.

  • The comedy; while pretty basic, were actually done pretty well.

  • I loved all the meta humor and self referential jokes.

  • It’s got heart; as expected. Has those feel good moments that should make you smile.

  • They actually used the Wilhelm scream more than once!

NEGATIVES…

  • You’ve seen this cliche before. Familiar tropes. Typical conveniences. Predictable narrative. Expected plot holes.

  • If you can’t suspend your disbelief with what happens in this movie, then this is not for you.

  • For a family film, I’m pretty sure I saw some decapitated heads fly by, and you do see people getting shot.

P.S….

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The Old Guard

POSITIVES…

  • The premise has a comfortable familiarity to it, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is one entertaining film.

  • Charlize Theron continues to be a badass, and this is no different. She is awesome!

  • The rest of the cast is fantastic as well, with KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, and Luca Marinelli. The chemistry within the group is stellar.

  • I would say that although Charlize Theron’s “Andy” is the main character, having Kiki Layne’s “Nile” be the proper audience surrogate to this story is the way to go.

  • Sweet choreographed action sequences! They kick-ass!

  • There are some clever clever moments throughout that just put a huge smile to my face.

  • While the action is a huge highlight to this movie, the more dramatic, philosophical, and existential themes are the heart of this film.

  • Leaves you wanting more. We are getting more right? Right?!

NEGATIVES…

P.S….

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