Clouds

POSITIVES…

  • Fin Argus as Zach Sobiech is charming as heck and great in his role. It was easy to get invested with his situation in this film that’s based on a true story.

  • The supporting cast is excellent as well, with Sabrina Carpenter, Neve Campbell, Madison Iseman, Lil Rel Howery, and more.

  • There’s a lot of great chemistry and conversations between the cast that really brings these characters to life.

  • Although this story is inherently sad, I loved the fact that it’s overall a very good natured and positive movie.

  • The emotions displayed in this movie felt very authentic and very moving.

  • Moments. There are a lot of scenes revolving around intimate and personal moments that really stand out, and makes this movie really heartfelt.

  • Considering the fact music and songs are a huge part of this film, the soundtrack is solid.

  • I appreciated the final message of this story, and the overall theme. It’s worth remembering.

NEGATIVES…

  • So there’s a lot of movies about people having cancer, and movies based on true stories about people having cancer, so expect some plot derivatives and cliches.

  • At certain plot points, some people might think that it’s too melodramatic.

  • Also at certain plot points, some people might think that there are moments that are too convenient or manipulative.

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Love and Monsters

POSITIVES…

  • The opening 10 minutes which sets up the tone, premise, that includes a huge exposition dump, and a small action scene, was pretty good. It’s the first sign that this is an entertaining movie.

  • Dylan O’Brien carries this movie really well. Self-deprecating humor, charming innocent demeanor, and his voice over monologues.

  • Monster encounters, and the monster designs! Fun stuff.

  • The dog! Gotta love the dog!

  • Good supporting cast, which includes Michael Rooker, Ariana Greenblatt, Jessica Henwick, and Melanie Zanetti.

  • There are some really good set pieces here of interactions, encounters, action, and montages, that I really enjoyed.

  • Liked the jokes and the light-hearted self-aware nature of the whole thing.

  • It’s always appreciated when there’s an apocalypse type movie that isn’t always dramatically dreary and depressing.

NEGATIVES…

  • If you’re tired of apocalypse movies, and the cliches and plot tropes that usually come with them, then I don’t necessarily think this would change your mind.

  • Some plot conveniences? Sure.

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The Trial of the Chicago 7

POSITIVES…

  • You know what they say, “Those who forget History, are doomed to repeat it,” and this movie is so very relevant to today.

  • Even before the movie’s main title card is displayed, the quick paced direction and cleverly written screenplay by Aaron Sorkin is on full display. Amazing work.

  • Bits of fun humor in a serious courtroom drama is so welcome and appreciated.

  • One of the most impressive aspects about this movie is how it feels so real when watching it; despite the fact it is a true story.

  • Hard not to have genuine emotional reactions from seeing certain exchanges, statements, or events, take place in this movie.

  • Saying it’s a very engaging film is an understatement.

  • The first day of trial gets the ball rolling in such an entertaining manner, and just gets better.

  • If you’re not familiar with the true story, then expect some spectacular plot turns and reveals.

  • Needless to say, what a phenomenal cast! From Eddie Redmayne, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Shenkman, to so many more.

  • Talented cast. All of them. However, I want to make a specific shout out to Mark Rylance, Frank Langella, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Jeremy Strong. Fantastic!

NEGATIVES…

  • Not every member of the Chicago 7 was given the full attention of the movie, when compared to the more prominent characters.

  • Some details were glossed over or not given enough time on, for the sake of the momentum and narrative.

  • Certain movie goers of a particular political side of the aisle, might accuse this movie for being biased, and panders too much.

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Black Box

POSITIVES…

  • Compelling premise, and I love the sci-fi angle.

  • Setup in the beginning establishing the relationship between the Father and Daughter is fantastic. One of the best aspects of this film is the chemistry between the two.

  • Great cast of actors here, from Mamoudou Athie, Phylicia Rashad, Tosin Morohunfola, Charmaine Bingwa, and Amanda Christine who steals every scene she is in.

  • It was really easy to get invested with the protagonist’s predicament, and wanting to see how he pulls through this.

  • There’s a moment in the story where I thought I already figured out the underlying mystery, and then it manages to surprise me after all. Kudos!

  • Several plot scenes that usually just involves two people talking to each other; and that I can’t elaborate too much because spoilers, were excellent.

  • Troy James was great in providing the visual creeps for this movie.

NEGATIVES…

  • Major nitpick of mine… Why isn’t he using the reminder function of his smart devices??!!!

  • There’s a couple of plot points that I found questionable.

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Save Yourselves!

POSITIVES…

  • Love the inventive premise of this story, and the humorous nature of it.

  • It’s enjoyable seeing the set-up and build up to the big plot reveal.

  • Speaking of which, the scene of the big plot reveal when they figure out what’s going on. Yes.

  • Kudos to Sunita Mani and John Reynolds for playing their dorky characters as well as they did.

  • The bickering, interactions, ideological discussions, and just general chemistry, between Su and Jack, are a huge part of what makes this movie keep going.

  • The main antagonists for this story is just absolutely delightfully scary in a very entertaining way. All the scenes with them just puts a huge smile on my face.

  • Part of the charm is that there’s a believability to Su and Jack’s actions and reactions to their situation, and all that fun plot development that goes with that. Then imagine what you would do if you were in their predicament. Has to be better than them…

  • There’s a thematic lesson to this whole story, and I think it’s absolutely worth learning.

NEGATIVES…

  • Movie doesn’t really get going until about the 15 minutes mark. Just put up with the character introductions and plot set-up until then?

  • There are those who would call the lead characters quirky pretentious millennials. If you don’t like quirky pretentious millennials, then maybe this might not be for you.

  • Moments of ineptitude can get annoying.

  • Some of the more stupid stuff are… stupid.

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Hubie Halloween

POSITIVES…

  • The running joke about dodging.

  • The swiss army knife of Thermos.

  • The huge all star cast of actors look like they were at least having fun making this movie. Like Steve Buscemi, Tim Meadows, Maya Rudolph, and June Squibb.

  • The lesson of this movie… well, it’s got a good message to teach, I’ll give it that.

NEGATIVES…

  • The mumbling voice that Adam Sandler uses for his character. Really?

  • Running bit about Hubie scaring easily is just unnecessarily annoying.

  • Harley Quinn cosplay joke should have been funny, but it’s not.

  • There were several clever plot reveals that are just wasted on this movie.

  • The shirt gag? Yeah. I didn’t think that was funny either.

  • In general, there were so many tired, basic, and unfunny jokes in this.

  • Way too many mean people in this movie for my taste.

  • Violet Valentine is the most poorly written character in this movie, and it’s kinda embarrassing.

  • The conclusion is just gag inducing. It meant well, but c’mon now.

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The Lie

POSITIVES…

  • By about the 12 minutes mark, I was all “well THIS is a compelling premise for a suspense drama.”

  • This is one of those stories where you might just be super curious to see how it’s going to conclude, and that is what’s most engaging about it.

  • The other compelling thing about this story is observing what the characters do in the situations that they are put in. You may not agree with everything they do, but it’s captivating that’s for sure.

  • If you enjoy getting that uneasy feeling of watching a house of cards about to topple over, or a train wreck that’s about to happen, then this movie might just be for you.

  • Fantastic performances by Mirielle Enos, and Peter Sarsgaard.

  • If you’re going to learn just one thing from this movie, it’s that you shouldn’t lie.

NEGATIVES…

  • There’s a certain point in the movie where it starts to go off the rails.

  • Considering the premise, it was easy to judge the characters for making the absolute worst decisions.

  • Needless to say, this might just be a very frustrating movie to watch.

  • Prepare to exclaim “you’ve got to be effing kidding me?!” multiple times.

  • I won’t blame you if you think this movie is just too unbelievable.

  • There will be those who will find the character of Kayla to be pretty annoying. I’m one of them.

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The Glorias

POSITIVES…

  • The life of Gloria Steinem and what she says is impressive, which helps keeps this film as engaging as it is.

  • Narrative plot device of having the different era Glorias interacting with each other in a bus is actually pretty neat.

  • Undeniably, there were some pieces of dialogue and speeches that were very powerful, and inspiring.

  • Specifically, there were some snappy lines and comebacks that were quite entertaining.

  • Excellent performances, by Julianne Moore and Alicia Vikander, as well as Lulu Wilson and Ryan Kiera Armstrong.

  • Great supporting cast, which includes Timothy Hutton, Lorraine Toussaint, Janelle Monáe, Bette Midler, to Kimberly Guerrero, plus more.

  • Seeing the historical footage is great.

NEGATIVES…

  • Stylistic flourishes to the narrative and fantasy bits can feel a bit unnecessary.

  • Not exactly a fast moving film.

  • Not exactly a short film.

  • There aren’t enough moments to let the characters breath and come to life more, because a huge chunk of this movie feels like it’s just a bunch of recreated highlight reels.

  • Needles to say, there will be those who just won’t like this movie for it’s subject matter.

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The Boys in the Band

POSITIVES…

  • This is a dialogue heavy movie, and thankfully the dialogue is great.

  • Despite the limits of the film mostly taking place in one location, and it being more about the conversations than anything else, it really manages to be engaging.

  • The ensemble cast is fantastic, with a very strong performance by Jim Parsons, Matt Bomer being the eye candy, and Zachary Quinto just flaunting his screen presence.

  • Musical interludes were nice.

  • “The Game”

  • Snarkiness and insults, it’s got some good jokes.

  • The themes and social commentaries are solid. Expected and obvious, but solid.

NEGATIVES…

  • Needless to say, not everybody is going to take a liking to this movie.

  • It’s still essentially a stage show translated into a movie, so it can only do so much visually in a cinematic fashion.

  • Some of the characters are kinda too annoying for my taste.

  • There are a plot or two that I just didn’t care much for.

  • Speaking of which, there’s a particular plot point that really came off as a bit unbelievable to me.

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Vampires vs the Bronx

POSITIVES…

  • It’s like one of those straight to home-video adventure genre movies for kids that will surprisingly entertain you.

  • Since Vampires are involved here, it’s awesome to see the movie just embrace the lore and genre, in some scenes.

  • With these kinds of stories where people at first don’t believe there are vampires in the Bronx, it’s also satisfying to see the moments when they are proven to be true.

  • Speaking of which, there were a couple of big reveals that were enjoyable to see play out.

  • Has its fair share of fun set pieces. Real estate manager, vampire nest, to the final battle.

  • The kid actors are great in this. Jaden Michael, Gerald Jones III, and Gregory Diaz IV, all have that chemistry and personalities to keep you invested in what happens to them.

  • Actors who played the vampires are excellent in playing your stock stereotypical bad guys in these kinds of films.

  • I liked the underlying social commentary to why there are Vampires in the Bronx.

  • “I’m Haitian, I was born for this.”

  • “Body of Christ.”

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s unsurprisingly formulaic, but don’t hold it against it too much.

  • Because it does rely on familiar cliches and plot tropes, it’s only really memorable to a point.

  • Can Method Man be a little too intense for a Priest?

  • There’s one particular moment that was so unbelievable, it was so disappointing to see how the movie suddenly got too lazy to advance the plot, that they thought it was okay to just let the characters pull that off?!

  • The conclusion was kinda cheezy?

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