Amsterdam

POSITIVES

  • Filled with flights of indulgent plot diversions and idiosyncratically eccentric characters, this movie that’s somewhat based on real historical facts is a fascinating piece of cinematic storytelling. 

  • The plot can be a bit much in how the narrative handles it, but the more things unfold, the more it invites you into getting more and more invested with wanting to see what’s going to happen next. 

  • Following the dialogue can be entertaining by themselves. The lines given to the actors really do enhance the movie and make it into something more than just the story being told. 

  • It’s got solid leads in this with a good supporting cast, and I dare say that it was Christian Bale who completely saved this movie. Bale was truly the main draw for me, and he continues to prove that he is one of the best actors of our time now. 

  • I can absolutely get behind the messaging of this story. Once it was obvious what this movie was actually all about, was the point where I started to feel invested with it. There’s a great speech and a monologue that spells it out for you if you somehow don’t get it. 

NEGATIVES

  • Plot progression and narrative can be a bit all over the place. It’s like it didn’t know what kind of movie it’s actually telling us. So it just threw everything in it and hoped they would just stick. 

  • Sad to say that the romances featured in this story just didn’t work. Maybe on paper and plot-wise they did, but not in execution. 

  • Maybe there are too many shots of actors talking directly at the camera? Felt distracting to see. 

  • Speaking of distracting. The supporting cast were filled with so many cameos, stunt casting, or very familiar character actors, that it constantly took me out of the movie. Is Chris Rock relegated to only doing jokes about racism now? 

  • The conclusion felt like it was just crushed under the unwieldy weight of this film’s vision. 

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Amsterdam - watched in IN THEATERS

Bros

POSITIVES

  • For a romantic comedy to work, you have to believe that the romance is real, and the comedy is actually funny. In this movie’s case, I say yes to both of those! You must have seen a lot of rom-coms by now, and I’m saying that you can add this one to the list of entertaining rom-coms. Yes there is a very obvious LGBTQ+ angle to the plot, but it’s just one of many elements that keeps this from being just another typical romantic comedy. 

  • Billy Eichner as Bobby is being that guy who is constantly complaining, but is really funny at that with his opinions, rants, monologues, diatribes, etc. He is one of the main reasons to check this out. 

  • The plot progression that covers Bobby’s relationship that he is building with Luke Macfarlane’s Aaron (who is really good in the role) is why this is a very enjoyable movie. Both have great chemistry together in that oil & water combo kind of thing, which is what makes it fascinating to watch. Their back and forth dialogue is engaging, their different perspectives on life are insightful, and they have one of the funniest foreplay I may have ever seen in a movie. 

  • Speaking of funny. There is some solid comedy in this, and yes a lot of it has to do with Bobby’s commentaries. Then there’s how this movie shows people messaging each other, those self-aware humor, funny pop-culture references (and cameos), the always comedic awkward situations, plus many more. 

  • While there are social commentaries about the LGBTQ+ community and its history that are absolutely worth being exposed to here, there is actually another great thematic message that is addressed by the characters of Bobby and Aaron that everybody should take heed to. 

NEGATIVES

  • Obligatory fact. Romance depends on how much you believe the couple could actually be a couple in Love, so your results may vary. 

  • Obligatory fact. Comedy is subjective, so you may or may not find the humor in this to be funny. 

  • Not above using familiar plot tropes, and especially a particular plot development in the third act that is just so cliché. 

  • Really embraces that R rating with it’s frank talks about sex and the sex scenes themselves, which some people just don’t care for. 

  • I’m not ignorant of the fact that there are those who will not watch this just because it’s an LGBTQ+ rom-com. Sad but true. 

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Bros - watched in IN THEATERS

Smile

POSITIVES

  • This is like a combination of everything Writer/Director Parker Finn learned from a Horror Movie 101 class, and put it all together into this very solidly effective scary film. This really knows how to build up tension and suspense. 

  • The plot direction, narrative, and pacing are all on point here. The scary scenes will keep you on the edge of your seat, and the mystery about what’s going on will also keep you on the edge of your seat. 

  • Right from the first scene that delivers the first “smile” in this movie, you know you are going to be seeing some creepy scary imagery. Along with the inverted shots, the slow pans, the jump cuts, to the blood, gore, and monster work, the visuals and special effects are excellent in this! Along with the imagery, a shout out to the spooky musical score and the loud noises for the scares. 

  • Sosie Bacon is simply fantastic here! She truly knows how to convey a scared terrorized person who is filled with anxiety and paranoia. You'll be right there with her as you follow her journey. Supporting cast is solid as well, so kudos to Kyle Callner, Jessie T Usher, Robin Weigart, Kal Penn, Jack Sochet, Gillian Zinser, Caitlin Stasey, and more.

  • There’s definitely an overarching theme involving trauma and mental health that works with the narrative. Gives you a perspective of what you’re watching and hearing in an interesting way. 

NEGATIVES

  • You’re going to feel like you’ve already seen this movie before. There’s a lot borrowed.

  • There are some questionable decisions certain characters make in this that will make you go “c’mon now, really?!” 

  • Oh the plot convenience of not just saying what’s going on when it seems like it’s the best time to say something. 

  • Why is it in these kinds of movies, nobody just goes and says “oh, it’s like that horror movie.” We want the characters to be smarter than the horror movie tropes. What is this, a world where those don’t exist? 

  • That thing that happens with the cat in the movie. 

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Smile - watched in IN THEATERS

Lumpia with a Vengeance

POSITIVES

  • Hey people who say that there’s nothing different about superhero movies anymore! Here’s a movie with a hero who is a Filipino American wearing a barong that uses Lumpia as weapons. Unique enough for you? Check it out! 

  • Playing off the classic “street level vigilante superhero” narrative, this mixes in a lot of comfortably familiar elements from the genre, adds that Filipino American culture into the concoction, with a dose of self-aware silliness, fun references / cameos, and becomes this entertaining movie that isn’t afraid to toss in random curveballs into what you see on screen. 

  • Plot progression just moves in this. Does not waste any time. From the cool action beats, the comedic moments, to the parts where somebody needs to give the necessary exposition dialogue or monologue, you will keep watching just to see where the story is going to take you next. 

  • It’s got a solid ensemble cast that look like they are having fun making this movie, which should translate to you having fun watching it. Overall kudos to April Absynth, Darion Basco, Mark Muñoz, Katrina Janye Dimaranan, Francis Custudio, Edward Baon, Earl Baylon, and many many more. 

  • Needless to say, Filipinos all around will probably get the most joy out of watching this, but everyone else should appreciate this unique take of a superhero movie. At the very least, if you never had fried lumpia before, I hope this film at least convinces you to have a taste. Love that Lumpia! 

NEGATIVES

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Lumpia with a Vengeance - watch in IN THEATERS

Blonde

POSITIVES

  • Fascinating triggering provocative traumatic exploitative take on who Marilyn Monroe is. Very moody film, that takes an incredible amount of liberties about her life, just to really let the films point of view sink in. 

  • Ana de Armas is simply phenomenal here. From some very nuanced mannerisms to those captivating monologues that she makes, Ana de Armas is showcasing an amazing tour de force. Truly she and her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe is the very main reason to see this film. 

  • It’s fantastic to see those iconic moments and events from her past that are recreated here. 

  • Some great visual stylistic flairs that really stand out spectacularly within the narrative. 

  • Incredible cautionary story, a strong reminder that celebrities are people too, and how taking care of your mental health is a very important thing to do. 

NEGATIVES 

  • Besides the fact that the majority of this movie is not based on facts, having a disjointed narrative with plot threads that are suddenly abandoned can all be pretty annoying.

  • Relentlessly dour, tragically sad, aggressively negative, obviously exploitative, and clearly made by a man if-you-know-what-I-mean. How much of that can you take? 

  • Pacing can feel too slow moving, and it doesn't help that it's a 226 minutes movie 

  • There’s definitely quite a bit of indulgence by the Director here, but intermittent switching of aspect ratios and color all seems a bit arbitrary to the point of being distracting. 

  • “Daddy.” Please stop. Too creepy cringe. 

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Blonde - watched it on NETFLIX

Don't Worry Darling

POSITIVES

  • A fascinating and compelling mysterious psychological thriller that is not above provoking you with what you see in this film. 

  • There’s a driving disorienting force to the narrative and editing, that should make you compelled to see how it all plays out until the end. Boring this is not. 

  • Visuals are simply excellent through and through. From the color palette, the set design, the cinematography, plus those brief fantastic touches of flair for some moments that truly stand out. Say what you will about the story, but this is a cinematic experience that should please your eyes. Not only that, but the soundtrack is incredible too!

  • One main reason to see this film is Florence Pugh as Alice. She really carries this movie with aplomb and it’s far more fascinating to see Alice’s journey in this story because of Florence Pugh. Supporting cast also does a good job in what was given to them, but a specific shout out to Chris Pine who really brings a certain malevolent charming panache to his character. 

  • As the story proceeds, you should notice the themes and commentaries that this movie is making. That added layer of what it’s about, on top of the premise, actually does make this film better than just being yet another mysterious plot that you have to figure out before the big reveal. 

NEGATIVES

  • It’s not a promising thing when during the first act, the first thoughts in my head were “do I really want to spend time with these obnoxious characters? No. No I do not.” 

  • Most of the time it felt like the movie was just jerking me around with how cryptically mysterious it all is. We get it. Creepy imagery and inexplicable questionable events that defy explanation. I roll my eyes. 

  • There are several logical gaps and plot conveniences that should have been directly addressed. However since they weren’t, some will call them plot holes, or just stupid dumb. 

  • Just when I thought the antagonists of this story were about to be given the needed depth and nuance that they were sorely lacking the whole time, the movie is pretty much already over. 

  • Not everybody is going to be happy with how the movie ends. Some will feel frustrated and cheated by it. 

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Don't Worry Darling - watched in IN THEATERS

See How They Run

POSITIVES

  • It’s a Whodunnit! Who doesn’t like watching these kinds of films and try to solve the case before it’s officially revealed? 

  • A huge part of what makes this movie a fun watch is the dialogue. The play on words. The back-and-forth. The self-aware humor. The puns. The sense of humor and jokes in this are just delightful. 

  • Sam Rockwell is good as Inspector Stoppard and gives his character a nuanced performance, however Saoirse Ronan as Constable Stalker is the one who completely steals this movie with her inexperienced but very eager character who has an adorable sense of humor and speaks her mind often. The rest of the supporting cast also deserve kudos, like Adrien Brody, David Oyelowo, Harris Dickinson, plus many more. 

  • It would have been easy to keep the imagery simple for this film, but the visual direction has some flair to it (like the split screen stuff), and there are legitimately a lot of locations that this story moves through which I appreciated. 

  • The whole movie has many scenes that keep you entertained, and the final act in particular is quite an enjoyable set piece to conclude the story. 

NEGATIVES

  • It’s a Whodunnit, and it doesn’t necessarily offer anything too fresh for the genre. 

  • Not exactly the most exciting or most interesting whodunnit either. 

  • Speaking of which. The big reveal didn’t really seem that… big. It could have been more twisty and surprising perhaps? 

  • The extended supporting characters could use… more character. 

  • There is that bit of self-awareness in this that might come off as an overplayed trope for some people. 

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See How They Run - watched in IN THEATERS

Pearl

POSITIVES

  • This is a prequel origin story to one of the characters from the movie "X" by Ti West. If that's something you're really interested in, then you should go see this. 

  • Mia Goth is absolutely phenomenally incredible in this and is easily the main; if not only, reason to watch this movie. It's her performance of a lifetime. She's amazing. She kills it even during the end credits.

  • Besides Mia Goth, the other memorable things that people will likely gravitate towards are certain stand-out scenes, like a particular dinner scene that gets out of control, a fantastic dance number, to a gripping monologue that absolutely gets your attention. 

  • Of course some of you will want to see all that twisted, depraved, gross, bloody horror stuff. You get those too. 

  • The film’s goals to shock and disturb you are one thing, but how it shows its appreciation by attempting to capture the look, feel, and sound of that vintage era is worthy of some kudos as well. 

NEGATIVES

  • Kinda drags a bit at times, because it has this somewhat casual pacing to it, when it should consider picking things up more. 

  • Could be more disturbing and scary. Really could have just used more horror. 

  • It at the same time felt too indulgent, and not indulgent enough. 

  • A warning to those who would care, but they show vintage porn in this movie. Oh, and there’s bloody gory violence too, if that needs to be mentioned. 

  • That whole thing with the roast pig. Didn’t need to see that. 

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Pearl - watched in IN THEATERS

Drifting Home

POSITIVES

  • Gotta hand it to this anime movie. It's unlike any survival story I've ever seen. Oh and young kids are the ones trying to survive here too, so there are expected elements that go with that fact which keeps things even more interesting. 

  • Adventure sequences are uniquely specific in this due to the premise, but they can be pretty exciting to watch. There is some cool parkour work too. 

  • Narrative is adept at provoking an emotional response from you, and that's one of the main reasons you're going to stay invested in seeing where the story is going. 

  • Visuals and animation are beautifully simple yet so evocative, and important in the sense of being an analogy to why this story is playing out the way it does. 

  • The themes and commentaries made in this anime is the whole backbone to the story. It felt quite personal, very relatable, and provided good life lessons for everybody. 

NEGATIVES 

  • Hope you don't mind all the melodrama and precious moments.  

  • Characters might take a while to grow on you before you want to get invested in them. 

  • Logic is not going to apply to the plot that much, and certain things will not be explained. Prepare to suspend your disbelief maybe more than you would prefer to. 

  • At almost two hours, and the way the plot progressed, this should either have been condensed further in its storytelling, or should have been a mini-series instead. 

  • Subject matters and certain situations might be too intense for younger viewers. In fact, I'm not even sure young kids will completely appreciate what this movie starring young kids is actually all about. 

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Drifting Home - watched it on NETFLIX

Do Revenge

POSITIVES

  • Do you like elaborate and very involved revenge schemes, but done in a high school age setting? Well this movie will take you on that ride, and then some. 

  • Dug the style of narrative, the look of the film, the clothing, the soundtrack, and the general heightened world that these kids seem to live in. 

  • For a plot like this that goes in multiple directions, with characters that are equally typical archetypes and nuanced enough to add more depth to them, the writing is overall pretty solid. The dialogue for the conversations (and the double voice over monologues) are entertainingly on point too, and that is one of the film’s biggest strengths.

  • The main reason for many to see this movie are of course Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke in the lead roles. They are undeniably pretty awesome in this, really bring their characters to life, and make it easy to want to see what’s going to happen to them next. Supporting actors like Austin Abrams, Rish Shah, Talia Ryder, and Alisha Boe, were all excellent as well. 

  • Beyond the slickness of the plot directions and the fascinating view of the world by the characters, the underlying thematic commentaries that are at the heart of this story really should grab your attention.

NEGATIVES 

  • Privileged, entitled, arrogant, rich high school kids, who happen to not have any parents or adults supervising them. How much can you put up with all of that? 

  • While it has that breezy narrative that moves things along, there are some lulls in the pacing that tells me that this could have been tighter and much shorter than its 2 hours run time. 

  • The final act felt quite a bit all over the place for the conclusion of the movie. 

  • Plot conveniences and some very familiar cliches and  tropes pop up more times than they probably should. Suspend your disbelief I guess. 

  • Aren’t they supposed to have a security lock on their phones?!! Lazy writing alert!

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Do Revenge - watched it on NETFLIX