The Vault

POSITIVES…

  • Still waiting for another Ocean's 11 to get your heist movie fix? Maybe this one will help a little with that. 

  • Pacing is good, and it's exciting enough to possibly keep your interest to see things through. 

  • Liked that whole huge set piece involving scanning stuff. That was fun. 

  • It's Davos Seaworth! I mean Liam Cunningham! I like that actor, and he's good in this too. 

  • On that subject, along with Liam Cunningham, the rest of the cast, which includes Freddie Highmore, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Sam Riley, Luis Tosar, Axel Stein, and José Coronado, are all solid in the roles given to them. 

  • There were some good small character moments here and there that were nice. Especially the ones involving Luis Tosar as Simon.

  • I like having the 2010 World Cup Finals as the backdrop to this premise. 

  • This is a perfectly straight forward heist movie, that's perfectly acceptable for what it's going for, and is perfectly fine. If you're okay with watching something comfortably familiar, then you should like this.

NEGATIVES…

  • It's comfortably familiar. Not everybody wants that. What else can be said. It's a more or less standard heist movie, that doesn’t exactly stand out in the crowd. 

  • Clichés, contrivances, tropes, and conveniences. All there. Prepare to roll your eyes when the movie gets to them. 

  • Speaking of conveniences. I present to you the character of Thom. No talk about Marty Stu now. 

  • There's an angle here where it romanticizes engineers and engineering, but it doesn't completely capitalize on that idea as much as you would have hoped. 

  • Also, see “La casa de papel” AKA “Money Heist” on Netflix.

loveditenjoyeditlikedit IT’S OKAY itsmehitsterrible

The Vault (AKA “Way Down”) - watched it on VIDEO ON DEMAND

The Toll

POSITIVES…

  • Provocative premise about a rideshare that I think a lot of women are always worried about. I would say, anybody would be concerned about. 

  • You know what text message you don’t want to have to send? "Are you up? This driver is f***ing terrifying." Great way to start a thriller right? 

  • Oh, but driving through a dark middle of nowhere forest, that’s where things get really terrifying. 

  • Solid direction of creepy visuals and scares to keep you on the edge. Making you wonder what’s going to happen next. 

  • Good work by Jordan Hayes and Max Topplin as Cami and Spencer respectively, for effectively carrying this movie. 

  • It can be fascinating observing how some people might act in this kind of predicament as presented here. 

  • There’s this big exposition sequence in the middle of the movie that’s welcome to see, and essentially tells us what the thematic lesson is supposed to be. 

  • Add this to stories that might scare you enough to not take ride shares.

NEGATIVES…

  • That thematic lesson is unfortunately kinda superficially handled though. 

  • Prepare to yell at the screen when the characters decide to do things that you would not agree with. 

  • Yeah, there are some plot decisions that can be frustrating to watch. 

  • Even at only 80 minutes long, it still manages to feel too long for this story. I think it would have been a great scary short film though. A short film you would have caught on YouTube.

  • Some might not be satisfied with how the story concludes.

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

The Toll - watched it on VIDEO ON DEMAND

Bad Trip

POSITIVES…

  • Familiar hidden camera prank show meets familiar road trip movie? Okay sure. 

  • There are definitely some cleverly executed pranks to see here. 

  • Outrageous enough to be entertaining to watch. 

  • Gotta give Eric Andre, Lil Rey Howery, Tiffany Hadish, and Michaela Conlin recognition for being fully committed to the pranks. 

  • The "I saw a girl today" bit put a smile on my face. 

  • That dream fantasy montage sequence was hilarious. 

  • Gorilla scene really went much farther than I thought it would. Just wow. 

  • Honestly. I wouldn't mind seeing a more ambitious sequel after this.

NEGATIVES…

  • It's not like this hasn't been done before. 

  • Feels disjointed with the plot progression, as if everything was put together with duct tape. 

  • Part of the fun with hidden camera gags is seeing these big reveals where they realize they've been had, but you just don't get any of that here… until the credits at least. 

  • Due to the fact the majority of the footage were taken by hidden cameras, the visual fidelity isn't exactly high. 

  • Some might not take to the more lowbrow gross humor.

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Bad Trip - watched it on NETFLIX

Seaspiracy

POSITIVES…

  • This is an alarming but amazingly done documentary that should really make you think twice about eating seafood. 

  • Fantastic pacing and editing. Really gives us a highly engrossing film. 

  • Loads of incredible visual data that perfectly matches the educational value presented here. 

  • "If dolphins and whales die, the ocean dies, and if the ocean dies, so do we." 

  • That segment of Taiji, in Southern Japan, leads the rest of the narrative, and just wow. I was not prepared. 

  • Plastic straws only account for 0.03% of plastic entering the ocean. 

  • "If you want to address climate change, the first thing you do is protect the ocean.” 

  • Fascinating seeing how "Sea Shepherd" operates. 

  • Is this a documentary or a horror movie?! What I've seen here scares the hell out of me. 

  • Can we get a real Aquaman to stop the atrocities presented in this film?

NEGATIVES…

  • Warning. Animals were harmed. 

  • This is a bummer to watch, especially if you are someone who loves eating seafood. 

  • Sometimes felt too unrelentingly depressing.

LOVED IT enjoyeditlikedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

Seaspiracy - watched it on NETFLIX

More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story

POSITIVES…

  • How much about Pat Morita do you actually know? Definitely watch this and find out. 

  • Those archival footage and photos, especially ones you've never seen before, are just incredible. 

  • Interviews with people who shared stories and thoughts about Pat Morita. 

  • Good narrative that's based on Pat's manuscript of his autobiography, and from the perspective of his third wife Evelyn Guerrero-Morita. 

  • Pat Morita as a comedian. 

  • Mr Miyagi on the Karate Kid. Iconic. 

  • Segments about the internment camps he lived in when he was young, and his twilight years. Heartbreaking. 

  • "Why open a Chinese restaurant? Because Japanese food wasn't popular there?" 

  • Social issues like racism and alcoholism are of course addressed, and importantly so. 

  • Hearing Pat Morita doing voice impressions gave me big smiles.

NEGATIVES…

  • Essentially just a basic straight forward enough biographical documentary. 

  • There's a huge segment dedicated to yellow face acting; while an important topic to address, it felt like a side plot that distracted from the overall focus on Pat Morita. 

  • Kinda wished we got interviews with his children, or his first two wives. 

  • Felt like it could have gone in even more depth than it actually did. 

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More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story - watched it on VIDEO ON DEMAND

The Yin Yang Master

POSITIVES…

  • The fantasy filled premise and mythological world building is entertaining enough to keep my interest. 

  • Solid plot progression that doesn’t waste a lot of time in keeping the story moving. 

  • Ensemble cast is good in this, which includes Chen Kun, Zhou Xun, Qu Chu Xiao, Shen Yue, and more. 

  • Despite the minimal developments, it was easy to find attachment with the characters in this story. 

  • Some enjoyable action sequences that mixes martial arts with magical aesthetics and superheroics. 

  • That one scene involving those shoji screens was pretty cool looking. 

  • Set design and costumes looked great. 

  • If this is just a giant promo to look into the Onmyōji novel series, video games, or anime, then it fulfilled its purpose.

NEGATIVES…

  • Plot conveniences and familiar tropes galore. 

  • Characters are generally just archetypes without too much nuance. 

  • "OMG he's such an idiot." Phrase I used often while watching. 

  • Visual effects for the monsters don’t always look the best. 

  • Ending could have been more satisfying.

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

The Yin Yang Master - watched it on NETFLIX

Happily

POSITIVES…

  • Fun opening scenes, that makes a very compelling beginning to this movie. 

  • Twisted humor and weird situational sensibilities that I really enjoyed. 

  • There's an unpredictability to the plot progression that I really appreciated. 

  • Those quick cuts, the tonal changes, the conspicuous soundtrack, and the overall direction by BenDavid Grabinski really kept my attention throughout. 

  • Joel McHale and Kerry Bishé are fantastic in this. I was completely all-in with trying to figure out the situation they are in. 

  • Whole ensemble cast which includes Natalie Zea, Paul Scheer, Natalie Morales, Jon Daly, Shannon Woodward, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Charlyne Yi, and Breckin Meyer, are great. 

  • That sequence of events in the first act with Stephen Root's character. What movie am I watching? 

  • "Not fully sure why we needed to see you act all of that out…" 

  • Social commentary about relationships should be of particular interest to couples. 

  • Joel McHale is ripped!!!

NEGATIVES…

  • Might be too bizarre for some people. 

  • Comedy is subjective. 

  • Some moments that seem unnecessary? 

  • Logic can be put into question.

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Happily - watched it on VIDEO ON DEMAND

Zack Snyder's Justice League

POSITIVES…

  • The hardcore fans demanded their more earnest and darker Zack Snyder cut version of Justice League, and they've got it! It’s definitely better than the theatrical cut. 

  • That Wonder Woman action scene at the beginning is awesome! Gal Gadot is absolutely one of the major highlights of this movie. 

  • Ezra Miller as the Flash is a breath of fun fresh air in this primarily serious movie. 

  • Return of Superman is one of the best sequences to see here. 

  • Who doesn't love seeing these iconic superheroes interacting with each other? 

  • Who doesn't love seeing these iconic superheroes doing superhero stuff?! 

  • Jeremy Irons, Joe Morton, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, JK Simmons, and a few more, were all excellent in supporting cast roles. 

  • Who needs an after credits when you can just have a 20 mins long epilogue filled to tease you with all these ideas and possibilities? 

  • Those fanservice moments should get those hardcore fans really excited. 

  • Congratulations to Zack Snyder, for having the most Director's Cut Film out of all Director's Cut Films.

NEGATIVES…

  • I know people wanted the #SnyderCut, but this is more like the #SnyderNoCuts. 

  • It's a 4 hours movie, and it unfortunately felt like it. Really needed to be edited down. I mean, there are actually boring parts in this. 

  • Is there such a thing as too much exposition, character introductions, and story build-up? Yes.

  • Doesn't really get going until about 1 hour 50 minutes into the movie. Let me repeat that. It doesn't really get going until about 1 hour and 50 minutes into the movie! 

  • Incredibly indulgent on scenes that felt like their only purpose is for fanservice or just to look pretty. 

  • There is also that unavoidable aspect ratio that you'll have to put up with.

  • Things I could nitpick.

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Zack Snyder’s Justice League - watched it on HBO MAX

Another Round (Druk)

POSITIVES…

  • An entertaining, compelling, and moving story that’s based on Finn Skårderud's hypothesis? Now that's a fascinating idea for a movie. 

  • Alcohol drinking aficionados will probably appreciate this film. 

  • As the plot progresses, the more it gets you interested in seeing how it's going to handle the conclusion to this story. 

  • Fantastic performances by Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, Lars Ranthe, and Maria Bonnevie.

  • There's a certain joy and relatability seeing four friends having inebriated fun together. 

  • I would never have guessed that several of the best moments in this film are all about teaching. 

  • One fun scene had a history related test that you should participate in while watching. I'm proud to say that I knew the answer.  

  • "We only drink during work hours." 

  • Thematically has some solid commentaries about life worth addressing. 

  • Those of you who’ve only seen Mads Mikkelsen as a serious tough guy or menacing villain, really need to see his range in this. Just that last scene alone...

NEGATIVES…

  • First act moves at a deliberately slow pace, which might make some impatient. 

  • Considering the subject matter, there are sequences you all probably expect to see in this movie, and yeah it's a bit on the conventional side. 

  • It's subtitled. I know some people see that as an automatic negative. 

  • There will be people who will unfortunately learn the wrong lessons here.

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Another Round (Druk) - watched it on HULU

Crazy About Her (Loco por ella)

POSITIVES…

  • Immediately hooks you in, with an opening of a wild one night random meeting of BSing and disruptive fun. 

  • The premise is essentially a romantic comedy with slight variations, but appealing in its lighthearted nature. 

  • Alvaro Cervantes is great as Adri, who grows to be our lead protagonist that you’re going to end up rooting for.  

  • Susana Abaitua is fantastic as Carla, who is our mysterious but captivating leading Lady. 

  • Supporting cast is excellent here. Luis Zahera, Aixa Villagran, Paula Malia, Clara Segura, and more. 

  • Well paced plot progression and situational comedy bits keeps you entertained. 

  • There are scenes that are legitimately touching and heartfelt that are a most welcome part of this movie. 

  • Can never get tired of the funny lines, and clever dialogue, which are littered throughout the movie. 

  • "I've got to perfect my Dr.Ramirez" 

  • Ultimately has solid messaging that is worth listening to.

NEGATIVES…

  • Can’t avoid those plot conveniences and derivative tropes. 

  • There’s a familiar predictability to the story. 

  • It's not a full on romantic comedy as you might have expected from it. 

  • Some might think the puns about mental illness are too obvious and might just be a little insensitive. 

  • While it’s heart is in the right place, the messaging can seem superficial too.

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Crazy About Her (Loco por ella) - watched it on NETFLIX