Reviews

Free Fire is not really a good film. It has a fine concept, a whole gun fight that can be fully experienced in one film, but it's not executed well. The screenplay isn't all that good. It doesn't flush out any of the characters, they're just devices for the action. The film is a comedy, but not a single joke landed for me. I didn't laugh once. It's not funny at all. The film is super absurd at times and it's not engaging. It's just a boring mess of a film. I rate Free Fire a 4/10.

Spring Breakers is a very interesting film. It has unique editing and it's a unique story and message. I think those things can be appreciated, but it does have a lot of issues despite that. It's way too short and in turn, things are missing. Most of the characters aren't flushed out well, some inconsistencies come into play, some things are just crammed in, and it feels rushed at times. There are also way too many shots of breast's and butts for no reason, it's just kind of weird. I think this film had a really good concept going, it's just kind of sad that it didn't go all the way. I rate Spring Breakers a 6.5/10.

Outlaws is the most forgettable A24 films I've seen so far. The acting is good, but that's really the best I can say. This film drags horribly, there isn't really that much of a plot, and it's not engaging. The editing and the general flow is bothersome and it's really just a chore to get through. The screenplay is just all over the place, it doesn't have much of a focus, and it's not really cohesive. I rate Outlaws a 2/10.

Mission: Impossible 2 is a horrible film. It has a boring plot, it has atrocious writing, and ugly editing. This film drags, the over use of slow motion adds to it. Ethan Hunt's character is butchered. The side characters are just there. The villain is uninteresting. The romance in this film is just awful. So many things are just terrible in this film, even the soundtrack is awful and it was composed by Hans Zimmer, which is baffling. This film is just so bad, it's embarrassing to call this a Mission: Impossible movie, it feels like a James Bond ripoff. It's hard for me to find anything redeemable about this film, it's just that crappy. I rate Mission: Impossible 2 a 1/10.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a classic film. Despite that, it doesn't hold up in some ways. The exposition is kind of bad, it does nothing to make us care about the characters and it instead chooses to set up events that later happen in the story. The characters are mostly annoying and they don't have good dialogue. The editing and direction in this film can get really annoying, there's weird close ups and super fast cuts that were there for really no reason. The reveal at the end of the film all comes together based on elements from the beginning, but it doesn't feel necessary nor does it feel like it mattered. I wish the film could've bettered this aspect. Other than that, there's some really good stuff in the film, especially the last shot. This film could be much better, but it's enjoyable and it's good to look back on. I rate The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 7/10.

Low Tide is just decent. It's very enjoyable and is better than most of the decent A24 films. The plot is fine, but where it messes up is with all the subplots. There's too much going on at the same time, all the subplots feel tacked on. Especially the romance aspect. Even then, the romance just feels rushed. It isn't pointless, but it's not necessary. Some of the character choices feel unwarranted at times, this could've been improved if the exposition had been more focused. There are also a bunch of minor issues I had, but they're not really worth mentioning. This film despite being enjoyable isn't the best. I rate Low Tide a 7/10.

I love the concept that The Blair Witch Project has. Unfortunately it's been overdone at this day in age, but this being the first film to attempt anything like this, it was pretty good. Despite that, some of the dialogue is bad and most of the conflicts between the characters are laughable. Also, the ending felt a little unsatisfactory. I wish it went on a little longer, but what we did get in that scene was definitely the best part of the film. Besides that, it's good and it's definitely worth watching. I rate The Blair Witch Project a 8/10.

Trespass Against Us doesn't have a focus and it's terribly inconsistent. The main character doesn't have an established desire because it's constantly changing into who knows what, which is part of the reason why the main character is so unlikable. You think he cares for his family and some of his actions prove that, but others don't. You think he wants a different life, but most of his actions disprove that. Even the conflicts in the story aren't consistent. You think it's about a conflict between a father and a son, but the conflict ultimately becomes about the police and the father and son conflict is kind of off and on throughout the entire film. This film is just a horrible mess, it doesn't know what it wants to be, it doesn't know what it wants to say. I rate Trespass Against Us a 5/10.

Mid90's does portray the 90's life for a kid really well and I think that's where the film shines. It's really great on the technical side, but the actual story is pretty problematic. There were many conflicts between characters that felt dumb as they were ultimately pointless. Also, the main characters home life wasn't well established, it's not the focus, but it needed more attention throughout the film. These two problems alone really brought down the film. I rate Mid90's a 7/10.

The Hateful Eight is not one of QT's best films, but it's still pretty good. The direction, screenplay, and characters/acting are all great. Sam L. Jackson gave an amazing performance, his character was great. The film is a mystery, but it's a western at heart and it doesn't really work. It's a really good concept, but the mystery isn't built up all that well, until really late in the film and there's one layer mystery that I found to be kind of stupid and unnecessary. It ended up killing one of the characters that really should've stuck around, not a good decision. I feel like the story should've taken a much different direction at that point. I think the biggest issue is that the film doesn't decide to be a mystery until over an hour in. It is then where an actual plot comes into play. That first hour of the film should've been cut down to maybe 30 minutes, it would've made a better exposition. There were a bunch of other issues I had, but they're relatively minor and aren't worth mentioning. Overall, it's good, despite all its problems. I'd just expect a little better from Tarantino. I rate The Hateful Eight a 7/10.

The Hate U Give despite having some flaws is a must watch. This film is important in today's society and all should watch it. This film captures the trauma, the emotion, and the horror of police brutality. This film is powerful and it tests your emotions. However, there were many conflicts between characters that were left unresolved at the end of the film, there were some stylistic choices in the way that it was shot that I didn't like, and it also moved kind of slow, which I can handle a slow film, but I feel like it needed to pick up the pace a bit more. The exposition though is pretty good, it's after the 45 minute mark where it starts to slow. There were also some minor issues I had, just a few moments and some throwaway lines. The screenplay is for the most part outstanding. There are many powerful moments and those are what this film will be remembered for. Despite its issues, this film is powerful and it is an absolute must see. I rate The Hate U Give an 8/10.

Rocks is a film that was really powerful. It was heartfelt, touching, and emotional. You were able to get wrapped up into the story and experience something that felt real. You were able to cringe at the lows the main character reaches, you were able to smile at small character moments, and you were able to cry when things turned somber. This film is wonderfully crafted, with its excellent writing, editing, direction, and story, it's truly remarkable. I have nothing but good things to say. I rate Rocks a 9/10.

Carol is very good film. It has an engaging and intriguing story and the setting makes it super interesting. The film is edited and directed very well, despite having just a few issues with it. There were a bunch of shots included of moments that needed explanation, but they never were. Towards the end of the film something happens that endangers the two main characters, and it's never explained how it happened. It's hard to talk about without spoiling the film, but this element is crucial to the story and the occurrence doesn't make sense in context with the story. The writing was mostly pretty good, but I feel like they could've bettered the romance aspect, I feel like they never fell in love at times, you barely see them laugh or just talk about their life and their story, and I think we should've gotten more of that. Just maybe one or two scenes more with stuff, it's not too a big of a deal, but I think it would better the film. There were also a few minor issues that aren't worth mentioning. Despite all of that, it's very good, it has great writing, great editing, great direction, and an overall excellent story. This is a very well crafted film despite having a few issues. I rate Carol an 8/10.

Mission: Impossible 3 was extremely disappointing. It's just a basic action film and it comes across as mediocre. It has a basic premise, it has a basic villain, it's just all so average and basic, this is Mission: Impossible not Jack Ryan. These films are extraordinary not ordinary, but this one is.

The first act of this film was screwed up. It opens on a scene that takes place an hour and 45 minutes later in the film and it is so stupid, why spoil the entire plot? Is it to hook audiences? That has got to be the laziest attempt at hooking an audience I've ever seen. It then cuts to a party, where we meet Julia, Ethan Hunt's now fiancé. She was not in the last two films and they're already engaged? The movie forces you to care about their relationship, but you don't. All you know is that she's a doctor and she doesn't know that Ethan works for the IMF. Like this could've worked if this was a standalone film, despite needing touching up, but it's not, it's a sequel and you're thrown into this. We need backstory and characterization (which she barely gets) to care. Then Ethan Hunt has to go rescue Keri Russell. She's made out to be an important person to Ethan and the team, but she was absent in the last film. She then dies. Okay, that's fine. Then there's a funeral scene where Ethan has flashbacks and it's all somber and sad. How are we supposed to care? She wasn't in the last two films, it's dumb. This all would've been fine if they cut the funeral scene. So between this and the introduction of Julia it's like we missed an entire movie. This should be the fourth film not the third at this point. Throughout all this, two new side characters are introduced who are part of the team and throughout the entire film they get zero characterization. They're just there. Like who are they, what's their story? And they're not even likable or anything they're just there. This is something that worked so well in the following MI films, there's a team and they have good chemistry. These new two team members do not and it shows.

The villain in this film is bad. He's just a guy who doesn't have a backstory, but then he's held out the bottom of a plane by Ethan and there's your character motivation. He's just pissed that he was held out of a plane. That's all there is. After that, he's just fine, pretty basic, nothing special.

One thing about this film that really rattled me was the way it was shot and edited. Yikes, it's just ugly with the absurd amount of shaky cam and weird (but not in a good way) choices for the way it was shot. There were also a bunch of flashback sequences that began to get on my nerves because of how stupid and unnecessary they were. Was that how we were supposed to care about Ethan and Julia's relationship, because it didn't work, it fell flat on its face.

At the end of the film there was a twist villain and holy crap it was terrible. The twist was completely out of left field and it didn't pay off because it was stupid and unnecessary, but it was most of all pointless. It amounted to nothing. It was just eye rolling.

There was also some instances of poor writing, but they were relatively minor, not really in the grand schemes of things because there was so much missing in the writing that could've improved the film.

It also really doesn't function well as a sequel, it feels like we missed a whole lot, it's not like some of the following MI films where you miss some stuff, but it's not relevant and when it is it's explained in a appropriate manner, but in this film it's not explained appropriately, it's forced, messy, and eye rolling.

Overall, this film is just so mediocre and it really bothers me because this is Mission: Impossible and it doesn't feel impossible, it feels like something you've seen ten times before. I rate Mission: Impossible 3 a 4/10.

The Polar Express has become a Christmas classic and you can vouch for that, but it's got a lot of problems, although I love the concept that this film has.

The score for this film is great, but the songs are so bad. They may be annoying, but the real problem is that they don't amount to anything, they're pointless. Songs sung by characters in a film are used to convey what they want or what they are feeling, and this film does not do that whatsoever. If they wanted to have songs, they needed to make it a full blown musical with songs that have meaning. It could've worked well, but I don't think this film really needed to be a musical anyways.

Around the beginning the main character goes to return the ticket that the girl left behind and ends up losing it, but it was the dumbest decision ever. Why did he do that, he could've just waited for her to return and then he wouldn't have lost it. Oh I know why, they needed some material to make a movie. They could've spent some time developing the other characters, that's what they should've done. The lonely kid says Christmas doesn't work for him, but why? It's never explained. Later he makes a dumb decision by going after a present, well he could've waited for later and not get himself in trouble. Maybe this could've been worked if it was explained why Christmas doesn't work, but nope. These decisions are not there to impact the story in anyway, they're just devices to fill in the runtime. The whole lonely kid character is pretty bad, he's just not written right. Like we don't even know anything about him and we're expected to care somewhat, but you don't because you can't.

None of the characters have names, except one. That's just stupid. Three characters become good friends, but they don't even tell each other their names. The audience doesn't even know what their names. That's just stupid, how are you supposed to really care if you don't even know their names?

Also I have to mention the animation. It's extremely ugly, it comes across looking like a 2000's video game. It's not really something that I can knock against the film, but it's worth mentioning.

There were a bunch of minor issues, but they're not really worth mentioning.

Overall, it's decent, it could've been better. It's enjoyable though. I rate The Polar Express a 7/10.

ParaNorman is pretty good. It has a very good premise and story and the animation is fantastic. But, I feel like there was something missing structurally, like exposition for some characters and story points and because of that some of the resolutions between characters didn't feel earned. Also, some of the writing was a little cringey. Regardless, it's pretty good and it's worth watching. I rate ParaNorman an 7/10.

Funan is a good film. It tells an interesting story and it has beautiful animation, but it had one glaring problem. It took little time to establish big moments. Some things happen so abruptly without notice, the exposition, for example. The movie is slow, yet it is so fast at the same time. There were so many instances in the film that could've been so much better. The execution could've been better, it could've created a more powerful narrative. Like for example, there was this really powerful moment at the end of the film and then it was just cut off by another scene and it ruined it. There were so many instances of this and it really bothered me. Besides that, it's fine. I rate Funan a 7/10.

The Breadwinner is a powerful film. It has a strong message, it perfectly portrays the culture and time period, and the 2D animation is gorgeous. It is such a good story and it deserves attention. As for critiques, there were a few directorial issues I had, some things weren't flushed out well enough there were a small number of scenes that could've been dramatized a little more. Other than that, this film is fantastic and is a must watch. I rate The Breadwinner a 9/10.

The Pirates: Band of Misfits is a an animated film and while I advocate that animated films aren't strictly for children, this film very much is. The best I can say is that it has great animation, but besides that, this film is painfully mediocre. It has the basic children's film plot structure and the plot itself is quite uninteresting and bland. It wasn't engaging and it wasn't even funny, disappointing especially considering this is a comedy film. This film is just one that a babysitter may throw into the DVD player to keep the kids entertained. Overall, it's just super mediocre. I give The Pirates: Band of Misfits a 5/10.

Mission: Impossible Fallout was fantastic. This film is a great action film, which has what seems to be a basic nuclear bomb crisis plot, but it is taken to a higher level with extreme levels of tension, character depth, and of course, stunning action scenes. This film has some minor issues, but they were nothing too major. Overall, this movie was great and I would definitely watch it again. I rate Mission: Impossible Fallout a 10/10.

Hook was very good albeit flawed. It is so much fun and the concept of it is such a brilliant idea. However, there are a few plot holes and a lot of writing and directing choices that could've been better. The pacing was kind of all over the place, but other than that it was pretty good. Also, the casting is fantastic. I'd watch it again it's a very fun and enjoyable movie despite being very flawed. If you look past the flaws you'll have a lot of fun with this film. I rate Hook a 7/10, objectively I'd say, but I personally liked it more. I really wished it was perfect, I really wanted to give it a 9/10.

I love the original Die Hard film and 2 and 3 are pretty good. However, Live Free or Die Hard isn't on the same caliber. It's just a basic action movie with a decent plot and some cool action sequences. The character of John McClane is the real highlight, but there's not much else about it that's outstanding. The sidekick character is extremely annoying and the villain is super basic, which is extremely unfortunate considering this is a Die Hard film. There's plenty of issues with it besides that, but they're somewhat minor. This film is painfully mediocre and I wouldn't watch it again. I rate Live Free or Die Hard a 5/10.

I have a lot of respect for Fantastic Mr. Fox. It was fun, hilarious, and had well written characters. My one gripe with this film is that the first act felt so rushed, I really wish that they took their time with it. Despite that, it's a really good film and I would watch it again. I rate Fantastic Mr. Fox a 9/10.

While being a pretty good film, It Comes At Night was confusing and they could've written the characters a little better. This film has a lot of missed opportunities. I rate It Comes At Night a 7/10.