Werewolves Within

POSITIVES…

  • Premise is essentially like a whodunnit with a werewolf gimmick. 

  • I generally liked the wacky narrative. 

  • Silly lighthearted tone reminds you not to take it too seriously. 

  • Dialog is energetic. 

  • Fun visual gags. 

  • There's a surprising amount of social political humor and commentary. 

  • Good ensemble cast with solid work by Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub, Wayne Duvall, Michaela Watkins, and more.

  • Part of the appeal with this movie is seeing how Ranger Finn Wheeler deals with all the insanity that is happening in Beaverfield. 

  • Twisty plot will encourage you to want to see it through to the end. 

  • That opening quote. Genius. 

  • Last act is just nuts. 

  • The underlying lesson in the movie is actually pretty admirable. 

  • Kudos to being a video game movie, without looking like a video game. 

  • Snowshoes.

NEGATIVES…

  • Feels overwritten at times, and tries too hard to be clever.

  • I could only take so much of the presumably purposeful overacting. 

  • Too many annoying characters. 

  • It sometimes thinks it's funnier than it actually is. 

  • Fake jump scares. Just stop it already. 

  • Some dumb plot points were just so stupid. 

  • Didn't seem like a movie that really needed all the F words.

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Werewolves Within - watched it on VIDEO ON DEMAND

Zola

POSITIVES…

  • Well look at that. A viral Twitter thread from 2015 actually became this movie, and it is as crazy as that fact. 

  • Provocative and outrageous, this wild story is an experience to watch. 

  • From pole-dancing sequences to the sudden surge of dangerous situations, this will definitely keep you engaged. 

  • Amazing work by Taylour Paige and Riley Keough as Zola and Stefani respectively. 

  • Colman Domingo and Nicholas Braun were also fantastic! 

  • The visual flourishes and transitions were pretty to see. 

  • Quick pace makes this narrative move really nicely. 

  • Voice over narration by Zola is an entertaining touch. 

  • In a movie filled with some outrageous scenes, that group prayer among strippers is an enjoyable highlight. 

  • There’s also that unsexy sex montage to consider. 

  • While it gets serious in parts, it doesn’t stray from adding bits of comedic moments to keep things light when needed. 

  • Effectively done audio drops throughout, makes it almost like a character itself. 

  • Despite what you might think, this does have thematic things to say. At least treat it like a cautionary tale 

  • Done stylishly, and with some in-your-face imagery, Director Janicza Bravo did an amazing job putting this story on film.

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s not for everybody, and for those who this isn't for, it's going to be an obnoxious film to watch. 

  • Speaking of obnoxiousness, the character of Stefani is going to really annoy some people. 

  • Scenes when characters are actually speaking out the messages they are typing on their phone is either clever or just dumb and stupid. 

  • Yes it's another movie about strippers without the actual stripping. I understand why that is, but I know certain people will take issue with that. 

  • Take a shot whenever you hear the word "bitch," because they say that maybe too often.  

  • Take a shot whenever you hear those annoying Twitter notification sounds.

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

Zola - watched it IN THEATERS

The Forever Purge

POSITIVES…

  • Fans of the Purge franchise will find a lot to like about this installment. 

  • Those who like peaking into dystopian realities will find some interesting stuff here. 

  • Arguably is the scariest and most intense entry to the series. 

  • Day after “the purge” scenes of confusion that leads into the “forever purge” was a good build up to the rest of the narrative. 

  • Once it kicks in, the story for this one is pretty engaging in a non-stop thriller kind of way, that you’ll want to see how they conclude it. 

  • Good ensemble cast which includes Ana de la Reguera, Tenoch Huerta, Josh Lucas, Cassidy Freeman, Alejandro Edda, Leven Rambin, and Will Patton. 

  • Movie just wouldn’t be as entertaining if it wasn’t for it’s solid cast, their interactions with each other, and their reactions to what’s going on. 

  • That one scene in El Paso Texas that looks shot like one continuous take, gives you a fun take on what an amusement ride for The Purge could look like. 

  • Guessing the type of weapon just based on hearing the gunshot. How twisted is that? 

  • “Speaking english! Translate!” LOL 

  • I appreciated the social political commentaries that this story had. Cautionary tale indeed.

NEGATIVES…

  • While the idea for this franchise is fascinating, it’s still a flawed concept that lends itself to questions it can’t seem to answer, and thus ruins that suspension of disbelief when watching this in one form or another. 

  • Honestly, it could have been more violent, more chaotic, and more traumatic. Despite it’s attempt at horror, it’s still too tame for a concept like this. 

  • Fake out jump scares. Meh. 

  • Has that bit of predictability since it follows some familiar plot tropes and cliches. 

  • Plot conveniences caused by stupid character decisions. Yeah. Still in this movie. 

  • Although they roughly touched on it here, I still wished they showed more of what the day after the purge actually looks like. 

  • The untranslated Spanish language spoken might bother some people.

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

The Forever Purge - watched it IN THEATERS

The Tomorrow War

POSITIVES…

  • Genuinely liked the premise for a time travel plus alien invasion movie. 

  • Opening scenes introducing the plot immediately grabs your interest for the story. 

  • When they finally show you the full version of that time jump scene. I mean Holy ****! 

  • Chris Pratt is a charming, likeable guy. Wouldn't have it any other way. 

  • Sam Richardson is the comic relief guy and he plays it really well. 

  • Yvonne Strahovski. Love her in this, and her ability to show both strength and vulnerability for her character. 

  • Best things about this movie are easily the scenes between Pratt and Strahovski. Their dynamics together is so compelling.

  • Shout out to JK Simmons. Also one of the best things about this movie.

  • Alien creature design is fantastic! 

  • I appreciated the themes in this movie, especially the ones that are clearly commentary on our current real world situation and problem. Also, SCIENCE!

  • Enjoyed the welcome bits of levity. 

  • "My man over there is wearing a chef's hat."

NEGATIVES…

  • Stupid action movie cliché moments. See next negative…

  • Plot conveniences, because you know the story needs to move forward some way. 

  • Ridiculously idiotic very very familiar plot tropes that made me want to throw something at the screen. 

  • Wow, people can outrun just about anything in this movie! *rolls eyes* 

  • The third act could use some tweaking in the screen writing. Just saying.

  • No, I have to say more on that. THAT character?!!! You needed to get that important information from THAT character?!!! There was really nobody else? The internet exists too you know! I know it was telegraphed in advance, but come on now!

  • I want more future tech! Don't show me the future, and not show me some fancy cool future tech.

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

The Tomorrow War - watched it on PRIME VIDEO

Fear Street, part one: 1994

POSITIVES…

  • Another enjoyable take on the slasher genre of horror movies, with a whole fun film trilogy premise right from the get go.  

  • There are a couple of fresh ideas to this genre that I appreciated seeing here.

  • I generally like the mythological narrative that this is going for. 

  • It’s thrilling and exciting, with some good set pieces to keep you engaged, like the opening scene. 

  • Has it’s fair share of surprises.

  • Pacing is solid. I didn’t find anything boring about it.

  • Bloody graphic kills. I know there's one in particular that I'll never forget. 

  • A huge part of what makes this movie enjoyable to watch are the main ensemble cast, from Kiana Madeira, Julia Rehwald, Olivia Scott Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr, to Fred Hechinger. 

  • Kiana Madeira in particular is excellent as one of our main heroine protagonists. Really leads the charge here. 

  • Shout out to Julia Rehwald for being a badass in this. 

  • I dig the whole Shadyside / Sunnyvale thing. Classic. 

  • 1990s nostalgia awesomeness, especially the soundtrack. 

NEGATIVES…

  • Probably not scary or gory enough for some. 

  • There are still some plot conveniences and clichés that can cheapen the narrative. 

  • Adults are inept and missing? Yeah, that old tired trope. 

  • Questionable illogical decisions that will make you scream at the screen. 

  • Contrived situations that seemed forced.

  • Seriously. Is a town just THAT empty at night?

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Fear Street part one: 1994 - watched it on NETFLIX

No Sudden Move

POSITIVES…

  • Premise of criminals and betrayals, that takes you into a heist-like noir-ish story. Good stuff! Especially for those who like these kinds of narrative.  

  • An amazing huge ensemble cast, led by the very talented Don Cheadle, and Benicio Del Toro.

  • Speaking shout out to David Harbour, Amy Seimetz, and Noah Jupe, who were fantastic in their supporting roles. 

  • Curt Goynes’ and Ronald Russo’s journey together here, is fascinating to see, and to try and guess where it might end up, by the finale of the movie. 

  • The plot just keeps you hooked into wanting to see what's going to happen next. 

  • Needless to say, this movie offers a lot of good surprising turns of events. 

  • Excellent scenes, like that "normal" morning at the Wertz family home, the visit to the Forbert residence, to the hotel set piece during the third act. 

  • Love the fact that Director Steven Soderbergh allow the scenes to just breath and take it’s time, to get the full effect of the experience.

  • Dialogue is top notch.  

  • Small bits of levity here and there were nice to see as well. 

  • Liked the setting of 1950s America, and the period specific clothing. 

  • Appreciated the fact that they actually explained the MacGuffin in this movie.

NEGATIVES…

  • So much plot to digest, and characters to juggle, that I can see people getting confused or just bored by it. 

  • Still not without its use of familiar plot tropes. 

  • Those looking for a lot of action aren't going to get it from this. 

  • What's up with the wide angle lens used for this film?

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

No Sudden Move - watched it on HBO MAX

America: The Motion Picture

POSITIVES…

  • A creatively amusing, irreverent, self-aware take on the American revolution. Solid idea for an animated movie. 

  • Part of the appeal are the unapologetic modern pop culture references, homages, and humor, tossed into that time era. 

  • It opens with beer pong during the drafting of the Declaration of Independence for chrissakes. 

  • Some other good scenes, like the chase sequence with Clyde the horse, the whole meeting with Blacksmith, “Free Bird,” to the War of Attrition. 

  • Oh, there’s also that scene where a certain someone is “spitting out blood.” 

  • Certain running jokes were also decently entertaining. John 3:16. 

  • Out of the huge ensemble cast of characters, my favorites are easily Edison and Geronimo. 

  • BTW, it’s got gory cartoon violence and blatant crude language throughout. Not for kids. 

  • I also appreciated the work on the animation. 

  • Despite the over the top absurdist tone, there are some not so subtle social political commentaries to mull over.

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s haphazard attempts at cleverness only goes so far. 

  • So many ideas were leaning towards the over the top extreme that I thought this movie could have come out from the ‘90s. 

  • Comedy is subjecting, but I seriously barely laughed at the jokes, and there were a lot of non-stop attempts at humor. 

  • The whole outrageous premise can get exhausting to watch really fast. 

  • This movie can get really obnoxious too. 

  • Samuel Adams is ridiculously annoying here. I know why he’s written the way he’s written, but come on now. 

  • More obvious Star Wars jokes… Movies! Stop with the lame Star Wars references! 

  • Just a whole lot of pandering to the audience.

loveditenjoyeditlikedit IT’S OKAY itsmehitsterrible

America: The Motion Picture - watched it on NETFLIX

The Ice Road

POSITIVES…

  • An exciting crowd pleaser of an action movie that just happens to involve ice road trucking. 

  • Could have been called “Problem Solving: The movie” and I’m all for it. 

  • This movie has all these little factoids scattered throughout the movie, from the very first opening captions, all the way to the end, and I was highly entertained being exposed to all of them. 

  • When “I want you to pull the rocker arm shaft” constitutes an action music moment, then you know this movie knows exactly what kind of movie it is. 

  • Getting a tire out of the ice is considered an action beat! 

  • The more traditional action sequences are enjoyable to watch as well. 

  • Appreciated the good pacing that keeps the movie moving. 

  • Liked the ensemble cast and the distinctive characters they are playing, from Liam Neeson, Marcus Thomas, Amber Midthunder, Benjamin Walker, Holt McCallany, and Laurence Fishburne. 

  • The chemistry between the characters is quite solid. 

  • Take a shot whenever you hear the name “Kenworth.”

NEGATIVES…

  • Could have been called “Worst Case Scenarios: The movie.” Bad things happen to a point that it’s almost just a parody of itself. 

  • Might be considered too generic, derivative, or unremarkable for some movie goers. 

  • Plot progression and narrative isn’t exactly unpredictable or unfamiliar. 

  • Familiar plot tropes, cliches, and conveniences. 

  • There’s that highly coincidental scene that interrupted an important conversation that was going to make a big revelation. Come on with the plot manipulation! 

  • CGI special effects look so low resolution, that it’s going to look worse in the 8K future. 

  • Mentions “nichiiwad” and doesn’t really pay it off. 

  • Song choices are ridiculously way too on the nose with the story, that they were distractingly hilarious. Which I assume wasn’t the intention.

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

The Ice Road - watched it on NETFLIX

F9: the Fast Saga

POSITIVES…

  • It’s a Fast and Furious movie. You know what you’re going to get, and that’s what you get with this installment. 

  • Some over the top family drama, an outrageous globetrotting espionage adventure, and villains with world dominating plans. Typically what you would expect from this franchise now. 

  • Car chases. It’s a Fast and Furious movie. It still has entertaining car chases. 

  • Fun stunt work as usual. From people tumbling, jumping, and falling from tall heights, to all those vehicles tumbling, jumping, and falling from tall heights. 

  • So much vehicular destruction and T-bones! 

  • Giant electromagnets! 

  • Action sequences are enjoyable to watch. From the Montecito scenes (Peligros Minas), all the way to the final scenes in Tbilisi. 

  • Solid cast ensemble, from Diesel, Rodriguez, Brewster, Emmanuel, Kang, and more. 

  • I liked John Cena playing the heel, and Charlize Theron is still excellent as a villain.

  • Helen Mirren is awesome. 

  • #JusticeForHan 

  • Pontiac Fiero. 

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s as derivative and predictable as a Fast and Furious movie always is. 

  • Lampshading does not excuse plot armor! 

  • Still has stupid logic and plot conveniences. Try to suspend your disbelief. 

  • Is the Roman Pearce character actually funny to you? 

  • Hey look, it’s that old stupid trope again. Bad guys just don’t know how to shoot good guys. *rolls eyes* 

  • No wait, there’s that other old stupid trope again. Bad guys need to follow through on actually killing the good guys when they have the best opportunity to do so! 

  • Cute Star Wars references? No. Just stop. 

  • #NotEnoughJusticeForHan

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

F9: the Fast Saga - watched it IN THEATERS

False Positive

POSITIVES…

  • Interesting premise for a horror movie. 

  • Plot takes you into familiar territory but should still keep you off balance enough as you continue watching what happens. 

  • Grabs you visually with some remarkably dark imagery. 

  • That sense of foreboding dread is ever present. 

  • Unsettling unnerving tone throughout. 

  • Ilana Glazer is phenomenal in her role, and really takes you along with her character’s experience. 

  • Justin Theroux is fantastic in a very subdued subtle way playing the husband role. 

  • Pierce Brosnan in one of his creepiest roles yet. 

  • Love the filmmaking techniques with the camera. Especially the ones with mirrors. 

  • The commentaries this movie makes are definitely food for thought. 

  • "Mommy Brain." 

  • "I trained myself not to have a gag reflex."

NEGATIVES…

  • Wow, this is absolutely not a movie for everyone. 

  • Some disturbing imagery that might be too disturbing? Trigger warning no doubt.

  • Starts off slow… and kinda stays at that slow methodical pace throughout. 

  • Can start feeling a bit repetitive at a certain point.

  • There are some big reveals that were a bit too predictable to be supposed big reveals. 

  • That concluding act is going to be polarizing.

  • If you hear a bump in the night? Would you walk into a room without turning on the light?

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

False Positive - watched it on HULU