The Woman King

POSITIVES

  • It’s an awesome premise for a movie that’s based on true events. An African female warrior army fighting against slavers? Yes to that. 

  • Along with the entertaining action beats, the good set locations, the engaging narrative, the historical significance, and the social dynamics, the main highlight and the best thing about this movie is the camaraderie and relationship between the main female leads. That carries this film and everything that comes with it. 

  • Speaking of the female leads. Viola Davis is a powerful badass here as expected, Lashana Lynch is simply incredible, Sheila Atim is fantastic, and Thuso Mbedu as our actual lead protagonist Nawi that shows us how awesome and amazing she is. 

  • I don’t know about you all, but I like watching good solid training sequences, and this movie has them. 

  • Besides the obvious “slavery is bad” commentary, there are other themes this story focuses on that I think gave this movie a lot more heart and emotion than you might have expected. 

NEGATIVES

  • Those expecting this to be an action-packed movie might be disappointed. 

  • Plot conveniences. Manipulative plot devices. Plot tropes. This movie surprisingly has a rather derivative plot progression that doesn’t stray too far from what you’ve seen in other films. 

  • Narrative could move a little faster. It didn’t need to be over two hours long. 

  • Speaking of time… was there a longer cut to this movie, because there were some supporting actors who just didn’t get to do or say much at all, and yet they are framed like we’re supposed to know more about them. 

  • I get why they went with the accents, but I either needed closed-captioning, or would have preferred them just try and speak in an African language with subtitles. The accents were too thick for me. 

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The Woman King - watched in IN THEATERS

Clerks III

POSITIVES

  • If you’re a Kevin Smith fan, or have enjoyed the View Askew movies, then there is absolutely no reason why you wouldn’t enjoy the much anticipated Clerks III. You the fans will feel rewarded by this film, and not just by the many cameos and call backs that you will find in it. Plus the soundtrack is awesome too. 

  • Huge kudos to the ensemble cast! Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason Mewes, Silent Bob, Rosario Dawson, Amy Sedaris, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Justin Long, and Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, plus many more. You all helped make this movie a very fun experience to watch. 

  • That dialogue. The writing is on point with the conversations and the jokes and all the references. I just wanted to keep listening to these characters talk. 

  • The back and forth between Dante and Randal AND Elias are a huge chunk of what makes this movie so very entertaining to watch. The supporting cast gets a piece of all that bantering too, and it’s all good stuff. In a Kevin Smith movie, the conversations are the action sequences. 

  • Besides all the meta stuff, and all that nostalgia, there is a legitimate thematic statement and commentary that is being relayed to us here. I’ll admit that I also got rather emotional by the time the end credits rolled. 

NEGATIVES

  • Is this only for the fans? Will they be the only ones who’ll really enjoy this? 

  • Certain plot decisions that may not please everybody at all. 

  • There’s a tonal shift that some people might be caught off guard with. 

  • Kevin Smith never claimed to be the most visual director, so yeah, this doesn’t necessarily offer a visually spectacular experience. 

  • This movie kinda cheated a bit with the movie within a movie movie. Plot hole? Or just suspend your disbelief as much as you can! 

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Clerks III - watched in IN THEATERS

Barbarian

POSITIVES

  • It's always effective to make a house, a home, or the place you sleep in the setting of a scary horror movie and this one really takes advantage of that in that creepy, mysterious, disturbing, brutal kind of way. 

  • Love how this movie throws curveballs into the narrative. It just constantly keeps you on your toes and on the edge of your seat. I was going “WTF?!” so many times. What a roller coaster experience of a story. 

  • Excellent cinematography, and camera work. Really keeps you off balanced in what you are or aren’t seeing on screen. Makes you paranoid about what you might see in the background. Plus having us peer into the pitch blackness is a great way to keep that suspense and tension going. 

  • There are three primary actors featured in this movie, Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, and Justin Long. I appreciated how each one of them brought so much into their particular characters, and truly carried the movie. Also have to give a huge shout out to Matthew Patrick Davis for his supporting role in this. 

  • Just barely underneath the horror movie premise, there are clearly some messages and commentaries that this wants to relay to us. Some are really obvious, while others try to challenge your perspective. Discuss what happened in the plot all you want, but there are themes here that are worth chewing on.

NEGATIVES

  • Prepare to shout “why are you doing that?!” or “don’t go in there!” to the screen multiple times. I also have to point out that there is one particular moment when it seemed like the movie wasn’t going to be that kind of horror movie, but then proceeds to follow that trope anyway. 

  • Unfortunately still uses some convenient plot inconveniences just to move the story along. 

  • I think there’s one legitimate plot hole here that it doesn’t address, which I feel like took me out of the movie a bit. 

  • Some people might call out the narrative to be a bit repetitive in some regards, and how it’s just giving you the run-around. 

  • There’s one scene that is so unbelievably frustrating involving certain supporting characters that it kinda feels a bit too manipulative, and is forcing a specific perspective on you in an almost unrealistic sense within the context of the plot. 

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Barbarian - watched in IN THEATERS

Pinocchio

POSITIVES

  • Well Pinocchio looks convincing enough more or less as a living wooden boy in a live action movie, and that’s what you’re here for right? I was amused with the fact that they took multiple opportunities to make his head rotate around like an owl.  

  • Benjamin Evan Ainsworth does a great job being the voice of Pinocchio, and the movie in general captures his innocence really well. 

  • This is already an iconic story, so it doesn’t take much to showcase some memorable plot points. With scenes involving Fabiana and Sabina, the “I Have No Strings” musical number, Luke Evan and Pleasure Island, plus Monstro,are just some of the times this movie springs to life. 

  • There is a fantastical odd and wild element to the world that definitely catches your attention, especially since this is a mostly live-action endeavor. 

  • As a cautionary tale and a moral lesson, this story still works well in that regard. 

NEGATIVES 

  • The pacing and plot progression is off. It’s unpleasant at times. Boring or uninteresting in some. Stupid or just dumb in others. Plus what’s with the Italian accents? 

  • Unsurprisingly and unfortunately, the CG work is a series of hits and misses. Especially Jiminy Cricket, which this movie just does not make look right. 

  • It should be pointed out that there are some scenes that might be too scary for kids. Especially since this is supposed to be a kid's movie right?

  • Those pop culture and Disney references felt a little too forced into this movie. 

  • Even Tom Hanks and Joseph Gordon-Levitt couldn't really save this movie. 

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Pinocchio (2022) - watched it on DISNEY+

Resurrection

POSITIVES

  • If you’re looking for a disturbingly creepy psychological horror-ish thriller-ish premise, about a Mother who is on the edge of a maddening situation, then this just might be the movie for you. 

  • Rebecca Hall is absolutely phenomenal in her role as Margaret and completely owns this film. She is the main reason to see this. Keep an eye for this one lengthy monologue that she does that will just keep you entranced. 

  • The relationship, interactions, and back and forth with characters like Grace Kaufman's Abbie, Tim Roth's David Moore, Angela Carbone's Gwyn, and Michael Esper's Peter, helps further take you and Margaret down the scary rabbit hole. 

  • Following the plot along, there is a good amount of suspense and tension to see what Margaret is going to do next; especially in the third act, which will only encourage you to keep watching. 

  • There are compelling thematic messages that enhance the urgency and agency of the plot. Definitely things to think about. 

NEGATIVES

  • Due to the nature of the story, it might take a while for you to get invested with it. 

  • It has odd and baffling moments that might just frustrate you. 

  • Oh believe me, this will push your suspension of disbelief. 

  • Even at just 103 minutes, this movie might feel longer than what you probably want it to actually be. 

  • That third act may not sit well for some people. Especially with how the movie concludes. 

loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible

Resurrection - watch it on VIDEO ON DEMAND

Fast & Feel Love

POSITIVES

  • What a premise! It’s a movie about somebody who wants to be the fastest at Sports Speed Stacking and the woman who can and cannot make that dream a reality for him. There are plot turns, reveals, and insightful revelations that will keep you invested in wanting to see how it plays out. 

  • For such a ridiculous idea for a movie, it really helped that its sense of humor completely entertained me. From the silly scenes, the meta self aware moments, sight gags, to all the pop culture references, to just the characters reacting to something, this movie is enjoyable as heck. 

  • Gotta love how it makes mundane minutiae of everyday life ultra dramatic, which truly adds to the comedy. That’s all thanks to the direction by Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, the editing, the pacing, the camera work, and those profile shots, really makes all that work so well with the narrative. 

  • Amazing cast all around. The lead actors Nat Kitcharit as Kao and Urassaya "Yaya" Sperbund as Jay, really own their roles to perfection, no matter how absurd things could get for them. The supporting cast from Anusara Korsamphan, Wipawee Patnasiri, Keetapat Pongruea, and Kanokwan Butrachart, all deserve kudos for their roles as well.

  • There are a lot of thematic commentaries sprinkled throughout the plot. One could say that this is an excellent coming-of-age story about a 30 year old, and there are life lessons that need to be learned here. 

NEGATIVES 

  • The arrangement made by Kao and Jay seemed so infuriatingly unbelievable that I felt like I should just stop watching the movie. 

  • Has quite a bit of irreverent ridiculousness that may not work for you at all. 

  • Kao will really test your limits and frustrate you throughout the movie. 

  • I can see some people being disappointed with how the conclusion plays out. 

  • How much sports speed stacking do you actually want to see in a 2 hours and 12 minutes movie? 

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Fast & Feel Love (เร็วโหด..เหมือนโกรธเธอ) - watched it on NETFLIX

Alienoid

POSITIVES

  • Love the gonzo premise for this mix-genre movie, which gives us robots, aliens, monsters, time travel, wire-fu, guns, magic, spaceships, plus so much more. 

  • The plot goes into many directions and I actually appreciate it for that, as it kept me on my toes into wondering where else this movie was going to go. Needless to say, I got invested pretty fast. 

  • Action sequences are pretty entertaining to watch, and have some nice creative ideas into the fight choreography. 

  • Main actors are all top notch here playing their characters, so shout-out to Kim Woo-bin, Ryu Jun-yeol, Choi Yu-ri, Kim Tae-ri, Yum Jung-ah, Jo Woo-jin, Shin Jung-geun, Lee Si-hoon, and Kim Dae-myung as the voice of Thunder. 

  • Sometimes you want to just watch a movie that is pure genre action-adventuring with cool characters and a fascinating narrative, that doesn’t necessarily have to say too much thematically. That’s what you get with this, so just join the ride with wanton abandonment. 

NEGATIVES

  • What is this? A Netflix TV show season that’s compressed into a 142 minutes movie? That’s seriously what it felt like. 

  • Honestly, the narrative can be a little bit all over the place, with nonsensical elements to further compound things. This might just turn some people off, or just overwhelmingly confuse them. 

  • Some basic and familiar plot tropes plus typical conveniences do show up here, which lend to some rather conventional story directions. 

  • I kinda wished the villains of this story were more fleshed out, than just being there to serve the plot. 

  • The way this movie concludes may not satisfy you.

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Alienoid (oegye + in 1bu) - watched in IN THEATERS

Breaking

POSITIVES

  • Despite the simple production value, you should absolutely see this movie that is based on a true story. You need to know this story of Brian Brown-Easley. 

  • I appreciated the purposeful steady pacing and narrative that really makes you feel like you are experiencing this story minute by minute and in real time. If you don’t already know how it concludes, then it’ll definitely keep your attention to see it through. 

  • There’s a certain casual naturalism to the dialogue of the main characters that it really brings them to life as human beings that you should feel empathy / sympathy with. 

  • John Boyega gives us an absolutely amazing performance in his role as Brian Brown-Easley. Rounding up the ensemble main cast are the also fantastic Nicole Beharie, Selenis Leyva, London Covington, Olivia Washington, Connie Britton, Jeffrey Donovan, and especially the great Michael Kenneth Williams in his last acting role. 

  • Needless to say, there are some very specific commentaries here that you really need to be aware of. 

NEGATIVES

  • This has a simple straightforward nature to the narrative that isn’t exactly the most exciting bank hostage movie, if that’s what you were actually hoping for. 

  • Based on a true story and all, but there are moments where you might think seems unbelievable. 

  • It’s set in one location for the majority of the movie, and doesn’t really do too much in a visually cinematic sense. 

  • There’s absolutely no nuances to the obvious antagonists in this movie, that it seemed a little manipulative? 

  • Kinda wanted a little more exposition to the conclusion of the story. 

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Breaking - watched in IN THEATERS

Three Thousand Years of Longing

POSITIVES

  • As a visual love letter to storytelling that includes historical references, mythological figures, fantastical elements, and modern socio-political culture dynamics, this incredible film is full of imagination and wonder, plus there’s a wish granting genie in this! All under the amazing direction of the super talented George Miller. 

  • The beautiful colorful imagery and the fantastic sound design are a huge delicious banquet to the eyes and ears. I was engaged with wanting to see what else this movie was going to show me next. 

  • Since storytelling is a big part of this, the dialogue, conversations, monologues, descriptions, self-awareness, variety of languages, and word choices that are all included with the visual narrative are all simply excellent. It’s not without some subtle nuanced humor too, which is a delight. 

  • Bouncing off each other, Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba are fantastic working together here. That initial meeting between their characters in the movie is a wonderful sequence that dictates an important tone for the rest of the plot’s progression. 

  • This narrative has a lot of messaging to share with us, and the thematic focus is insightfully bittersweet. 

NEGATIVES

  • It’s an unusual film that goes many places with the narrative, and that’s not necessarily going to be everybody’s kinda vibe. 

  • With a movie filmed with multiple different languages, some will be annoyed that it doesn’t always give us translated subtitles to what they are saying. 

  • I was disappointed with what the first wish was. Felt like it was a manipulative and unbelievable plot turn that tainted the rest of the film. Although I get the thematic messaging that comes from that. 

  • That third act and the conclusion. Not sure if you’ll be completely satisfied with it.

  • The nudity in this will probably be too much for some people. 

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Three Thousand Years of Longing - watched in IN THEATERS

Vengeance

POSITIVES

  • Fish out of water premise. Cultural infused comedy. Socio-political discussions. Mystery. Death. Plot reveals and surprises. Podcasting. Whataburger. This film has a solid plot that kept me hooked throughout, and really made me want to see where the story was going. 

  • I really enjoyed the clever and witty writing. From word play miscommunications, interesting monologues, awkward silly humor, to fascinating and insightful conversations. 

  • A highlight is undoubtedly the characters that B.J.Novak’s "Ben Manalowitz" meets in Texas. Heck, Texas is itself a character! It’s very entertaining seeing Ben try to figure out how to talk and interact with these people, and get a handle on the Texas way of life. 

  • Along with Novak, the rest of the cast is absolutely fantastic! Shout out to Boyd Holbrook, J. Smith-Cameron, Eli Bickel, Isabella Amara, Dove Cameron, Louanne Stephens, Issa Rae, Ashton Kutcher, plus many more. 

  • Appreciated the fact that this is one of those character driven films that has something important to say. The social-cultural-political commentaries aren’t as straightforward as you might expect it to be, and I really loved the nuances that were applied to all that. Take heed to this movie’s message. 

NEGATIVES

  • With a movie title like “Vengeance,” I can only imagine some people might go into this thinking that it’s a Liam Neeson type action thriller. You might be disappointed with the fact that it’s not. 

  • It’s not without some plot tropes and cliches, but there is one particular story beat, where you are expecting it to happen, because it would with this kind of story, but at the same time you wished this movie would actually buck the trend and not go there anyway. Well it unfortunately did go there. Serves the plot and all, but still… 

  • Gotta say, there are some moments when I would go “I can’t believe he does not know that already?!” I mean seriously now. Took me out of the movie from how unbelievable it was. 

  • Depending on your reaction to the narrative and commentaries made in this movie; not to mention the stereotypes, you might get offended or patronized or insulted? 

  • You may or may not have issues with how the movie concludes. It’ll definitely make you have to digest how you feel about how that went down. 

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Vengeance - watch it on VIDEO ON DEMAND