Prey

POSITIVES

  • This is the best Predator movie since the 1987 Predator movie. Is that reason enough to watch this?

  • It's all about the hunt and the prey and the thrilling action that comes with all that. Plus those brutal kills too. 

  • Amber Midthunder as Naru is fantastic as an action star here. You're going to want to root for her. Kudos to Dakota Beavers and Dane DiLiegro, as they too were great!

  • Great imagery. Good cinematography. Plus the setting and the location looks just excellent for this movie. 

  • Love the integration of the Comanche language. 

NEGATIVES 

  • It's not exactly the deepest story to contemplate, or the most complex narrative you'll watch. 

  • I can imagine that there will be those who will feel impatient with the build up during the first act. 

  • Just lucky or plot conveniences? 

  • Some brutal deaths for the cgi animals and the humans that might not sit well for some people. 

  • Maybe they shouldn't have bothered with the English dialect? 

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

Prey - watched it on HULU

Honor Society

POSITIVES

  • Charmingly clever coming of age story that's more like a scheming heist in trying to successfully go to a good college? Like the premise! 

  • Has an energetic narrative that keeps things moving, and Honor's monologues work really well for this movie. 

  • Angourie Rice has swagger and confidence as her character Honor that she absolutely rules here. Additional kudos to Ben Jackson Walker, Amy Keum, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Gaten Matarazzo for giving their all in their roles as well. 

  • There's overall a nice comfortable predictability to the story, but still may have some surprises for you still. Plus there are some nice resolutions with a lot of heart too. 

  • As it goes with these young adult movies, there is a worthwhile message that is being taught here. It acknowledges a society of cynicism but opens you up to some optimism as well. I'm down for that. 

NEGATIVES 

  • 4th wall breaking monologues filled with tons of exposition isn't for everybody's taste 

  • There are some scenes that kinda grind things to a halt. 

  • This is the kind of story where you can already see how it's likely going to conclude, and you might just be impatiently waiting for it to happen. 

  • Why do some of the supporting characters have to be written to be so annoying? 

  • Questionable plot thread that is… questionable. 

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Honor Society - watched it on PARAMOUNT+

Not Okay

POSITIVES

  • Dark premise that really challenges this world of Instagrams, FOMO, narcissism, social media, and social justice. 

  • Zoey Deutch is incredibly all-in as Danni and carries the movie quite well, especially considering the role she has to play. 

  • What's fascinating and most interesting about the narrative is the contrast and relationship between Danni and Rowan who is amazingly played by Mia Isaac. 

  • The themes and commentaries that this movie is making are absolutely worth exploring. 

  • Part VIII and Part IX… well that's a refreshing writing decision that I appreciated seeing

NEGATIVES

  • Not exactly a premise that would appeal to everybody

  • Considering what the movie is about, it can get super cringey and awkward to watch, and you’re just constantly waiting for the shoe to drop

  • Unlikable protagonist. Hope you can look past that for the story. 

  • Questionable plot situations that may come off a little unbelievable. 

  • The way it concludes may not satisfy everybody 

loveditenjoyedit   LIKED IT   itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Not Okay - watched it on HULU

The Gray Man

POSITIVES

  • If you’re in the mood for a watchable action-spy movie, then this would help pass the time. 

  • Big action set-pieces to keep you invested to see what they are going to do next. 

  • There are some clever cool moments within an action beat that’ll grab your attention. I liked the movie for those things. 

  • Actors are generally solid in the roles given to them, and they all looked great. So shout out to Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Julia Butters, Billy Bob Thornton, Jessica Henwick, Dhanush, and Regé-Jean Page. 

  • Can’t forget to acknowledge the visuals in the location settings department. Makes it worth having them travel all over the place. 

NEGATIVES 

  • Despite the obvious comparisons to a popular spy book/movie franchise, this is a derivative film that simply relies on replicating the greatest hits of the genre without adding much new to it. 

  • Kinda wished the action scenes were more exciting and compelling than what was actually shown on screen. 

  • The final battle was honestly a bit of a let down, and that was the one I was most looking forward to. 

  • I get that they want to have a globe-trotting feel to the whole story, but it starts being unintentionally funny once you see the umpteenth location title card pop up on screen. 

  • Warning for those who care. Huge Gary Stu character right here. Hope that doesn’t ruin any sort of potential tension. 

loveditenjoyeditlikedit IT’S OKAY itsmehitsterrible

The Gray Man - watched it on NETFLIX

NOPE

POSITIVES

  • Really liked the premise of this movie. It’s simpler than it lets on, but provides some solid excitement, humor, tension, and horror. What’s in the sky, and what are they going to do about it? 

  • There are some good plot reveals that really take the story in all kinds of different and probably unexpected directions. Heck, the opening scenes took me for a loop in wondering what I was watching. 

  • It was easy to get invested in wanting to see where the plot is going, and what may or may not happen to our characters, excellently played by Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Brandon Perea, Steven Yeun, and Michael Wincott. Who lives? Who dies? Who gets to be heroic. 

  • Despite the limited locations and sights, the cinematography is fantastic, and offers some amazing unforgettable imagery that really wowed me. I suppose it also helped that I was lucky enough to watch this movie on an IMAX screen that actually offered the immersively grand 1:43 aspect ratio. 

  • Looking past the plot’s surface, there are some interesting themes and commentaries that are definitely worth exploring. 

NEGATIVES

  • The movie tries for a little more stylistically nuanced structure for the narrative, that may not be quite as effective as it thinks it is. 

  • Pacing could be tighter. 

  • Ending may not satisfy everybody. 

  • Characters can be considered a little superficial with their personalities and relationships. 

  • Those depictions of harm towards animals are unfortunate. 

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

NOPE - watched in IN THEATERS

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank

POSITIVES

  • It’s a more kids friendly version of 1974’s Blazing Saddles, but features Cats and Dogs? I like this idea for a premise. 

  • So many attempts at jokes here. From puns, to meta humor, to pop culture references, to 4th wall breaking stuff, to physical comedy, to visual gags, and of course all those Cats & Dogs jokes. 

  • I was entertained by the technology shown in the movie, which is pretty much just an animal that is acting like an instrument, and felt very much like the Flintstones. 

  • There are some fun montages (especially the training kind) and several genre-infused flashbacks. 

  • Even with all the general silliness found here, there are underlying themes and an overall moral message that is worth teaching a younger audience. 

NEGATIVES

  • Cultural appropriation much? 

  • Most of the actors felt like they were just phoning in their performances. 

  • The general plot felt dumb, tired, boring, and derivative. 

  • Despite the fact that this movie kept churning out jokes after jokes after jokes, I didn’t laugh much at all. I know comedy is subjective, but still… 

  • Hate to say it, but the simplistic animation really isn’t all that great. 

loveditenjoyeditlikedititsokay IT’S MEH itsterrible

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank - watched in IN THEATERS

Where the Crawdads Sing

POSITIVES

  • This has an interesting story of a mysterious death that will encourage you to want to see the conclusion. It also has a sweet and tragic romantic plot thread that keeps you engaged in seeing where that goes. All within the premise of one of the more fascinating heroines from a novel to come around. 

  • Between the compelling flashback narrative and the charming small moments made big, this story should constantly grab your attention. 

  • Daisy Edgar-Jones is phenomenal as Kya Clark. Everything good about this film is mostly because of Daisy Edgar-Jones. Jojo Regina also deserves praise in her role as the younger Kya. 

  • Gotta love the setting of this story being in the marshlands of North Carolina. Nice imagery and visuals. Plus I generally adore the preferred method of transportation of traveling the marsh. 

  • Thematic commentary is laudable in its messaging, even if it’s rather simple of a moral lesson to give. Certain people will really find it very relatable. 

NEGATIVES

  • Some plot conveniences that cheapens the narrative a bit. 

  • Gets a bit melodramatic at some points. 

  • Apologies to Harris Dickinson, but his character Chase Andrews could use a lot more nuance than what was given to him by the story. 

  • They imply how much of a character the marsh is, but the movie doesn’t really justify the reverence outside of the voice over expositions. 

  • Some people might get the wrong take from the conclusion. Plus it doesn’t help that this story can be overshadowed by the real controversy surrounding the book’s Author. 

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

Where the Crawdads Sing - watched in IN THEATERS

The Sea Beast

POSITIVES

  • The movie's imaginative world building about sea beasts and the hunters who hunt them is quite excellent. This is a very entertaining adventure at sea that you'll want to experience. 

  • Animation is stellar and those enormous sea beasts are quite magnificent to look at. Visual imagery to marvel at. Then there are those like "Blue" who are just so cute. 

  • Lively distinct characters wonderfully played by Karl Urban as Jacob Holland, Zaris-Angel Hator as Maisie Brumble, Jared Harris as Captain Crow, Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Sarah Sharpe, plus more. The banter between Jacob and Maisie in particular is pretty fun. 

  • Those grand exciting engaging set pieces and action choreography are spectacular to watch! 

  • What this movie decided to have as a thematic commentary is remarkable. Emphasized by a powerful moment during the last act. Take heed to what it has to say. 

NEGATIVES 

  • This isn't exactly a pirates movie if that's what you were hoping for. 

  • Some familiar plot tropes here and there. 

  • Plot conveniences? Highly illogical moments? Takes you out of the movie stuff? Sure. 

  • Felt like it could have shown me more, and could have been more ambitious in scale. 

  • You know some people are going to get annoyed by the kid. 

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

The Sea Beast - watched it on NETFLIX

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On

POSITIVES

  • The movie’s premise is about a documentary on a talking shell character that has an eyeball, a mouth, and little shoes! How adorable is that?! Never once did that conceit of a story wear itself out for me. 

  • It’s got very much a “kids say the darndest thing” vibe and I adored that so much. Some of the things Marcel says and does are just the best. 

  • Visually very simple due to the premise, but its ability to bring this little big world that in itself lives in our own big world is just an incredible thing. Plus the very rube goldberg machine aspects are so awesome. 

  • Jenny Slate as Marcel is fantastic! How she and Dean Fleischer-Camp brought Marcel; and Isabella Rossellini's Connie, to be fully developed three dimensional characters to life, that I genuinely cared for, and was unbelievably invested in, is just a work of cinema magic. 

  • I truly enjoyed the movie’s sense of humor, but wow did the dramatic aspects emotionally move me. 

NEGATIVES

  • If you’re not into the premise and this idea of a movie, I don’t know how it would win you over. 

  • It’s going to wreck your brain trying to figure out how the whole world presented in this movie is supposed to logically make sense in any realistic way. 

  • Some predictable plot developments that you might find too derivative. 

  • You’ve seen these kinds of thematic messages before, so it’s not exactly challenging material in that regard. 

  • There’s a segment with Lesley Stahl I was disappointed that I didn’t get more of. The movie’s not that long, so couldn’t we get more Lesley Stahl? 

LOVED IT enjoyeditlikedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On - watched in IN THEATERS

Thor: Love and Thunder

POSITIVES

  • If you watched Thor: Ragnarok, really enjoyed the comedic aspects of it, and wished that they would have leaned even more heavily into that, well you got your wish with this installment. Talk about embracing comedy. 

  • Looking past the comedic aspect, this movie’s also got heart, and it’s also got some solid action beats. That’s your Love and Thunder right there. 

  • Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, and Taika Waititi are excellent in their roles as expected, but wow did Christian Bale once again give 110% to his performance and to his character here; Gorr the God Butcher. Shout out to Russell Crowe too! 

  • Visually provides some nice location imageries, comic book splash page looking shots, plays around with color on black & white, plus those CG characters all look top notch. With all that said, the soundtrack and song choices are fantastic! 

  • While the things the movie talks about are generally simplistic, there are still some interesting thematic commentaries it brings up that are worth exploring. 

NEGATIVES

  • I’m sorry, but am I watching a parody of a Thor movie? Because it’s much too silly to be an actual legit Thor movie. I mean the character of Thor is practically a joke of himself. 

  • It’s not actually a parody? Okay, maybe this is another example of comedy being subjective? 

  • Oh wait, it got serious. Talk about a tonal switch. It’s like I’m watching two different movies. 

  • Also, how come for an MCU film with a big budget and a huge supporting cast, the movie itself looks like it’s showing the limits of its budget much more than expected (you’d think they shot some of those scenes in a Best Buy parking lot or something). Plus the huge supporting cast that doesn’t really seem to be doing a whole lot when clearly the plot would suggest that they should. 

  • Let’s just say that Director Taika Waititi was indulging himself way too much here and also at the same he wasn’t indulging himself enough in other aspects. 

lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible

Thor: Love and Thunder - watched in IN THEATERS