The Woman in the Window

POSITIVES…

  • A mysterious thriller that will keep people guessing as to what’s going to happen next. 

  • Part of the fun of watching movies like these is trying to figure out the answer to the mystery before it’s revealed.  

  • The manic pacing and plot progression completely fits the themes and tone of the film. 

  • Eye grabbing stylistic visual touches were pretty awesome to see. 

  • Excellent utilization of having this being set in one location. Adds to the claustrophobic tone of the movie. 

  • That tone can be quite tense, and suspenseful as well. 

  • Second act really puts you on the ringer here. Which I guess is the point. 

  • If there’s one single reason to see this, it’s Amy Adams as Anna Fox. She is simply spectacular in this. 

  • The rest of the supporting cast is also good. From Wyatt Russell, Gary Oldman, Fred Hechinger, Julianne Moore, Brian Tyree Henry, and more. 

  • “Punch” the cat.

NEGATIVES…

  • Going to be a lot of people saying “hey, isn’t this just Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window?” 

  • Can’t be helped I guess, but the premise does feel kinda generic and derivative. 

  • The drama can appear to be quite over the top, to the point of frustration. 

  • Speaking of over the top, the acting sure is cranked all the way up to 11 here. 

  • Very questionable face palming decisions made by our protagonist. 

  • A little manipulative in some cases.

loveditenjoyeditlikedit IT’S OKAY itmehitsterrible

The Woman in the Windows - watched it on NETFLIX

Those who wish me dead

POSITIVES…

  • If you’re looking for a good traditional thriller involving bad men, a mysterious conspiracy, firefighters, and a big fire, then this might just be for you. 

  • This is one of those movies that really just gives the actors moments to shine in some enjoyable scenes and set pieces. Some good stuff here. 

  • Angelie Jolie is expectedly solid in her role as Hannah, bringing some good emotional beats necessary for her character’s back story. 

  • Finn Little is fantastic as Connor, and is given some very entertaining lines to say. 

  • The pairing of Jolie’s Hannah and Little’s Connor is easily the best thing about seeing this story play out. Their conversations and the scenes they perform it. Bravo. 

  • Aiden Gillen and Nicholas Hoult are absolutely excellent in their roles of the main antagonists. Provides more highlights for the movie. 

  • Medina Senghore is another wonderful highlight as Allison. I would give all the best action sequences to her scenes actually. 

  • Jon Bernthal being Jon Bernthal. ‘Nuff said? 

  • Appreciated seeing some of those survival tactics demonstrated in the movie. 

  • “It’s impossible to feel sorry for myself in front of you.”

NEGATIVES…

  • Have to admit that despite the recognizable stars and big fire special effects, this movie isn’t exactly the most spectacular thing you’ll see this year. 

  • Slow start. Taking its sweet time getting to the thriller aspect of the story. 

  • That big annoying plot convenience that’s needed just to keep the plot going. 

  • Big tease of a macguffin that is handled in the most unsatisfying way. 

  • Speaking of conclusions. That ending. You’re going to cut to credits from right there? C’mon, you’re killing me here.

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Those Who Wish Me Dead - watched it on HBO MAX

Spiral: From the book of Saw

POSITIVES…

  • Fans of the Saw franchise should check this out. With that said, those who never followed the franchise can easily jump in on this installment.

  • Liked the mysterious killer police procedural narrative.

  • Most will be here for the deadly traps that is synonymous with this series of films, and they do mostly deliver.

  • Needless to say, fans of bloody gore and violence will find things to like.

  • Then there are those who will be watching because of Chris Rock, and he too delivers with what you expect from him.

  • Gotta admit that I enjoyed the stand-up comic bits of jokes he actually got to do in this.

  • Chris Rock did get to drop some entertaining pop culture references here and there too.

  • Good supporting cast, that includes Marisol Nichols, Max Minghella, Richard Zeppieri, Samuel L Jackson, and more.

  • There are several scenes that should grab your attention, and one that I had fun watching involved being able to see a bone sticking out of a broken leg.

  • Thematically tackles some very prescient and important subject matters.

NEGATIVES…

  • Those quick camera zooms, pans, and cuts, were just annoying.

  • Somehow I thought there would be more traps. There aren’t as many traps as I expected there to be.

  • A couple of huge plot holes that killed some of that required suspension of disbelief.

  • Mystery of the villain a little too telegraphed and predictable? I know I guessed correctly!

  • Movie seemed afraid to actually deal with the overall themes of the story.

  • That moment you the end credits start. Seriously? That’s how they’re going to conclude the movie?!

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Spiral: From the book of Saw - watched it IN THEATERS

PROFILE

POSITIVES…

  • More proof that a movie that is completely set on a computer desktop is still a viable form of story telling. 

  • Compelling, fascinating, and thrilling premise. 

  • Considering the “screen life” aspect of this movie, it chooses some effective liberties with what we see on that computer desktop. 

  • I particularly liked it’s method of indicating the passage of time in the narrative. 

  • Achieves that proper tension and suspense needed to hook you into the plot. 

  • Third act in particular really ramps things up, and will keep you invested until the eventual conclusion. 

  • Valene Kane is generally solid in her thankless role of Amy / Melody. 

  • Shazad Latif is absolutely fantastic as Bilel. 

  • Subject matter itself is quite triggering, and worth thinking about. 

  • Considering that this cautionary tale is inspired by a true story, only makes the movie scarier than it is.

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s a movie that’s purely shown via a computer desktop. It’s not for everybody. 

  • Kinda rolled my eyes at some of the movie’s attempts to create a supposed authentic representation of how we use a computer, and how our video chats apparently are riddled with constant pixelations and buffering issues. 

  • Familiar plot tropes and cliches.

  • Certain plot points and plot conveniences were also quite annoying to see in this story. 

  • The character of Amy Whittaker will frustrate you. 

  • Expect to do some face palms and incredulously ask “what the hell are you doing?!” 

  • Didn’t think it needed to be 105 minutes long.

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

PROFILE - watched it IN THEATERS

The Paper Tigers

POSITIVES…

  • This crowd pleasing movie seems perfect for people who grew up with a fondness for martial arts and Kung Fu flicks, but the normality of regular life unfortunately kept all that strictly in the realm of fantasy and not reality. 

  • Premise of middle age men who let go of their martial arts upbringing from back when they were young, who now have to avenge their fallen master, is a pretty entertaining idea. 

  • Alain Uy, Ron Yuan, and Mykel Shannon Jenkins, are excellent as the three tigers. Their chemistry together and their character progressions, easily helps keep you invested with where the plot takes them. 

  • Seeing that montage at the beginning, as if shot via a VCR camcorder gave me a huge smile. 

  • That set piece at the empty pool. Fantastic! Great example that represents all the fun "beimo" you'll see in this. 

  • Gotta admire the fight choreography for this movie. 

  • I really liked the writing and the dialogue. Good stuff here. 

  • There are some fun comedy bits and lines that I really really enjoyed. 

  • Matthew Page amused me a lot as the character of Carter. 

  • "A fortune cookie, made by white flour." 

  • Thematically has solid lessons worth learning.

NEGATIVES…

  • Might be criticized for being kinda simple and straightforward of a story. 

  • If you're expecting a ton of action scenes, then you might be disappointed. 

  • You're definitely going to have to suspend your disbelief for some of the things you'll see. 

  • Fart jokes. Really?

LOVED IT enjoyeditlikedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

The Paper Tigers - watched it on VIDEO ON DEMAND

Wrath Of Man

POSITIVES…

  • A premise that heavily involves the Armored Truck delivery side of the business, mixed with gangsters and criminals? Yeah. I’m immediately interested.

  • Those who want a more gritty and dark Guy Ritchie film, should find something that will grab their attention here.

  • It stars Jason Statham, and he is very entertaining here as you expect him to be.

  • Good ensemble cast, that includes Holt McCallany, Darrell D'Silva, Josh Hartnett, Jeffrey Donovan, Scott Eastwood, and Eddie Marsan.

  • The chapter based narrative gets more intriguing and engaging as the story goes.

  • Has some solid set pieces and montages throughout, with highlights coming from scenes featuring Jason Statham in action.

  • It’ll definitely make you want to see how the whole thing concludes, even if you have an idea how it’s going to end.

  • Thematically has a rather fascinating cynical commentary on men and their tendencies for self-destructive violence.

NEGATIVES…

  • Those specifically looking for that light-hearted witty sense of humor from Guy Ritchie will likely be disappointed with this movie.

  • In fact, I didn’t care that much for the mean kind of humor this movie does have.

  • The first chapter felt like a mess to me.

  • Holy crap is there so much male testosterone in this, it’s almost on the verge of parody.

  • “H,” “Bullet,” “Boy Sweat Dave,” “Sarge,” whatever with the cute colorful nicknames!

  • Dialogue can sound very overwritten at times.

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Wrath Of Man - watched it IN THEATERS

Demon Slayer Mugen Train

POSITIVES…

  • If you are a fan of the manga and anime, then you absolutely have to watch this movie. 

  • Part of the appeal of Kimetsu No Yaiba are the flashy and stylish attack moves and fight sequences. This does not disappoint. 

  • There’s a certain mastery to making effectively emotional melodrama here that I really admire. 

  • Those wacky comedy bits are also welcome to see here and there. 

  • Kamado Tanjirô is truly one of the best protagonists in anime today, and is a character that is totally worth looking up to. 

  • Speaking of characters that are worth looking up to, Rengoku is incredibly cool and absolutely amusing. He is a true highlight of this movie. 

  • Hashibira Inosuke really gets to shine in this as well, and let’s not forget the appeal of Nezuko and Zenitsu too. 

  • Excellent memorable villains in this. They really ramp up the gravity of the danger to our heroes. Keeping us interested and on the edge of our seat. 

  • Considering the premise of this story is that it’s all set in exactly one location for just about the whole movie, it still nevertheless doesn’t stop being an engaging watch throughout. 

  • That final battle sequence during the third act. Wow. Amazing! 

  • While the underlying themes of this story aren’t exactly deep, they aren’t exactly unwelcomed either. Lessons to learn and live by.

NEGATIVES…

  • Although there are story bits that give exposition to those unfamiliar with the source material, I still have to say that a lot about this might be completely lost to those who aren’t familiar with either the TV show or manga. 

  • Some might not like the quick tonal shifts from wacky humor to serious melodrama. 

  • Certain characters and plot points don’t really get as much attention as you might have expected. 

  • With how the movie ends, I’m tempted to say that this isn’t a movie at all and just another installment for the anime series. 

  • How again are they hearing each other in a noisy moving train, while several train cars away from each other?

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

Demon Slayer Mugen Train - watched it in THEATERS

NOBODY

POSITIVES…

  • If you can help it, go into this movie without knowing anything about it. Just know that Bob Odenkirk is so excellent in this as Hutch Mansell, and just know that this is for the action genre movie audience. With all that said… 

  • This is one of those movies where fantastic unsuspecting things happen. Unsuspecting things that can get very bloody violent. 

  • That opening six minutes. 

  • That scene where that guy had to lock the door behind him. 

  • That bus scene. Woo Hoo! That bus scene!

  • That introduction scene for Aleksey Serebryakov's character. 

  • That sequence where Hutch had to say "Don't call 911." 

  • You know what? Let's just say that there's a lot of incredible scenes and well directed action set pieces in this. Just Bravo! Bravo! 

  • Wait wait wait. One more mention. That Christopher Lloyd scene. Hold up. All those Christopher Lloyd scenes. 

  • I truly truly appreciated this movie's dark humor sensibilities. 

  • Loved the subtle but efficient world building and character expositions. 

  • The soundtrack. Mwah. Chef's kiss. 

  • Shout out to Connie Nielsen, Araya Mengesha, RZA, Colin Salmon, and Michael Ironside. 

  • Can we make this a franchise? It’s just too entertaining and fun not to.

NEGATIVES…

  • There's going to be a lot of comparisons with a certain other character from that certain other movie. In other words, this is a familiar genre film, with some expected plot devices. Don't hold all that against this movie too much. 

  • This isn't exactly a deep movie. 

  • You know. If you heard gun fire next door, you'd probably call for law enforcement right? Right?

  • May be criticized for it's outdated and gratuitous thematic commentary about violence and masculinity.

LOVED IT enjoyeditlikedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

NOBODY - watched it on VIDEO ON DEMAND

The Mitchells vs. The Machines

POSITIVES…

  • As a family road trip movie, mixed with the robot apocalypse, this is an incredible must-watch animated film. 

  • Kinetic visual style and in your face ADHD effects are just awesome! 

  • The comedy. The wacky humor. The pop culture references.  The irreverence. The running jokes. The fun montages. The cutaways. Good good good good good stuff. 

  • The Mitchells are an excellent set of outstanding weird characters, played by an excellent voice cast. Their chemistry truly shines. 

  • Monchi the dog is just legendary. 

  • Eric and Deborahbot are quite entertaining. 

  • Olivia Colman as Pal! 

  • Fantastic scenes and chaotic moments throughout. From the family meal, Pal Max reveal, DinoStop & Cafe, and many many many more. 

  • Thematically has some great things to say about family and technology and filmmaking too. 

  • "I guess cellphones are bad for you." 

  • "Why would someone build that?!" 

  • Dog Cop! I want to see more Dog Cop!

NEGATIVES…

  • Some familiar and expected plot tropes and coincidences. 

  • It can really be ridiculously unbelievable at times.

LOVED IT enjoyeditlikedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

The Mitchells vs. The Machines - watched it on NETFLIX

Without Remorse

POSITIVES…

  • If you're looking for an action revenge movie with that typical Tom Clancy international political intrigue, then here you go. 

  • Michael B Jordan is in fact a badass, continues to be a badass, and showcases his badassery in this quite splendidly. 

  • All the action sequences involving Michael B Jordan are the highlights and are the main reasons for watching this movie. 

  • That prison scene for example is just fun stuff. 

  • There's also that whole set piece that involves setting a car on fire. 

  • Speaking of excellent set pieces, that plane set piece was really nicely done too. 

  • The movie's not done though, because there's also that huge set piece set in a building, that's definitely one of the best sequences of this movie. 

  • After watching this, I really wouldn't mind seeing more action movies featuring Michael B Jordan's character here. In other words, stick around for the mid-credits scene.

NEGATIVES…

  • Very very familiar premise that doesn't differentiate itself enough from similar movies. Despite the production value. 

  • Some people will accuse this movie for being too generic and mediocre. 

  • Why is everybody acting so stiff and stilted except for Michael B Jordan? 

  • Jamie Bell is so ridiculously hateable in this, that it's just… so annoyingly ridiculous! 

  • That conclusion. Meh.

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Without Remorse - watched it on PRIME VIDEO