Stars: 4.5/5 ⭐️ This was so good. It was chilling, it was thrilling, and it did have a good bit of comedy, all wrapped up in the horrifying flick. So, Get Out follows Chris, played by Daniel Kaluuya, a black photographer who joins his girlfriend, Rosie, played by Allison Williams, up at her parents' house for a family get-together. What he doesn't know though is the get-together is for him... kinda. The movie unfolds at a great pace, with you learning new things even right up to the end, about a "process" that Rosie and her family have been doing on black people, for what it seems like a couple of years, if not decades. What I think is so interesting about this movie is that it defers from all other horror movies. There is no movie that you can really compare it to, which makes the film even more of a delight, as it stands on its own. While it's all confusing for most of the film what Rosie's family is up to, multiple clues are pointing to what might be happening, just from how the maid, and the groundskeepers, who are both black, act. From the weird smiles, they give Chris, to just how their face contorts when they talk, there is so much going on that's spooky, and you have no idea what it is, which makes the mystery even better. After learning that Rosie's mom is a hypnotist, you start to gather pieces of what might be happening, which is most facilitated by Rod, Chris' best friend. The music as well is this perfect mix of terrifying and beautiful, which helps bring the creep vibe up. And throughout most of this movie, it's done in the daylight, which, unlike Midsommar, Get Out felt scary, while Midsommar was just gruesome. The only part of the film that was a little weird, was after you figure out what happens to the black people. So they're hypnotically sedated, to the point of where they can still see and hear, but they can't control themselves. That's where the operation comes in, and it seems like part of the black people's brains are removed, but nothing that would kill them. That is done so there can be room for the white people's brain parts, so they can control the black people, I get that. But I was confused because it seems like doing a semi-brain transplant isn't possible for the white people. During the procedure, their brain is fully detached from their body, so wouldn't the white people die? I'm not sure, and I haven't watched an explanation video, if there is one that explains that, but for me, how the procedures worked was confusing, and maybe that's why there was little detail, as it's just a fantasy element kinda. But other than that, I wish I didn't wait so long to watch Get Out because it is so amazingly done, and hopefully, Jordan Peele will continue his making a horror movie every other year trend. (And yes, I know Nope is coming out 2022, but without the pandemic, it might have come out 2021). Jordan Peele has for a long time shown his strength in comedy, and now it seems like he's just showing us that he's a master in two totally opposite genres.
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Stars: 4/5 ⭐️ People will just make a movie out of everything, won't they? Not to say Escape Room was bad, cause it was pretty entertaining for what it was. Which, the first thing I will say, the movie utilized its budget so well! There are like 7 major rooms in the movie, and they all looked so amazing, cause this film had a 9 million dollar budget, which seems like it's usually the low end movie from Sony, so they did so well with that! But anyways, Escape Room is... well about people in an escape room. They all seemingly have nothing in common at the start, and as we move through the rooms, we start to uncover how they're all connected. The characters also seem to flip on their head, with the main characters have opposition traits in the thick of it, compared to how they are at the beginning of the film. The rooms are well done as well, with each being as interesting, if not more, than the last. My favorite room was the upside-down bar, which I didn't understand how they built the set, but I thought the set itself was the coolest thing ever. And the whole conspiracy company behind the escape room was just as so intriguing. Like, how did they get all the players' information? How did they know things, that the players only knew themselves? When the players came in, and the people were like "thanks for your sacrifice" did the players just go into this blind, or did they search up Minos? And if they did, what did they find, if anything? And if they did find nothing, then why did they go into this escape room, knowing nothing about an un-searchable company? So many questions, and hopefully they're answered in the sequel, which needs to come out on a streaming platform that I have, so I can watch it. But back to this movie, I think this movie was great, as it knew what it wanted to be, and stuck to it. It didn't try to imitate saw which is just murder porn, but it was a movie, where theoretically all the characters could have survived. Except for Danny, who 100% died because he didn't follow the rules. Like think about it... minutes after he takes a picture of the mountain ice room, he plummets into the water and dies... along with his phone, so no proof of anything, which was the whole point of the escape room. What did feel a little unrealistic about this movie though is that all the characters are super out-of-the-box thinkers. Like maybe it was because it's a movie, and I wasn't in the room, but I couldn't see where any of the clues were headed, which did keep me on the edge of my seat, so that was good, but also confusing. But all I've really got to say is when is the sequel going to drop on a streaming service I have? Also, will there be a third to make a trilogy? I don't know, but maybe there will be because I could see this movie having so much potential as a franchise, as you could go in so many different directions with so many different characters. The movie Escape Room just so well done! Stars: 3.5/5 ⭐️ I don't know who lied, and said this was a good movie, cause... it wasn't. It wasn't horrible, but after watching the Fear Street trilogy on Netflix, this pales in comparison. Maybe that's rude to say about a franchise film, but, like, where was the flavor? Isn't the whole aspect of horror movies is that you see either gruesome stuff on screen, or if it's a psychological thriller, it bends your mind? Well, Halloween (2018) did neither. So it seems, like 40 years after the original Halloween, Michael is transferred to a prison, to spend the rest of his days, but oh, no, the bus carrying him crashes, and he escapes. And who does he go after? Everyone! But I guess he's going for Lorie Strode, aka Ms. Jamie Lee Curtis, whose acting skills in this movie kill! (pun very much intended.) So Michael is going for Lorie, but she's been preparing since, forever, I guess, and she's hunting him down. Expect the psychiatrist who is looking after Michael doesn't want him dead, and wants to "observe him in an uncontrolled environment," which makes me think that he was the one to crash the bus, and if that's so... well, then the psychiatrist might need his own. But anyways, Michael is making his way to Lorie, and killing along the way, and for all these scenes, it's like no one has any self-awareness. Like, I know in horror movies, the characters have to have a certain level of dumb, for the story to pretty much work, but GOD!!! Also, we don't see Michael kill anyone on screen, except one dude in a gas station bathroom, which was just hilarious because before the dude gets killed, he smacks Micheal in the face with a crowbar. Seeing someone recover that quickly from getting hit from a crowbar, I don't know why, but it's absolutely hilarious to me. Cause, that just doesn't make any sense, how could someone recover from that? And, yes, I know Michael is supposed to have horror movie killer strength, but, like, come on, it reminded me of any time someone tries to hit Superman... like bro, that ain't going to work. One of the more interesting points of this movie though is Lorie, and it's a shame that we don't spend more time on her. Seeing how she's prepared for what seems like the fight for her life has changed her psychologically, and we get a little tease of that from the psychiatrist, but I feel like we need to dive deeper into that. She's built her house like a prison, her back yard is a gun range, and she has a cage-trap that he has under her kitchen so, I feel learning more about Lorie's psychology since the first movie is intriguing. But, also speaking of the cage under her kitchen, why didn't she just wait for Michael to come up the stairs, and then pull the level, so the spikes would go in him. I think that would make sure that he would die because it does feel logical that he could have escaped possibly. The fire could have burned the spikes, and then he could have pushed through. But, in all, Halloween (2018) is an interesting movie, for what seems like another trilogy, and hopefully, the three movies will live up to the hype they're getting. Stars: ?/5 ⭐️ I don't know where to start with this movie. Cause, I can't tell you if it's bad or good, because honestly, I had no idea what was happening in the film, to be honest. I get the basic plot, which is about a woman, Lucy, played by Ilana Glazer, who has been trying to get pregnant for about 2 years with her husband, Adrian, played by Justin Theroux, and they've been having trouble. So they go to see a doctor, John, played by Pierce Brosnan, who I don't think is even an OBGYN but gets them pregnant. Then spooky shit starts to happen, where Lucy is seeing things, and having weird nightmares, and all this crazy stuff. But honestly, she doesn't find her doctor John creepy at all, even though he is!!! Especially with his Stepford Midwives, who look like they're out of an old-timey asylum horror movie. And then it seems like everyone might be in on it, because spoiler alert, turns out the way Lucy got pregnant was that her doctor inseminated his sperm into her... so yeah... that was a weird twist. It seemed like it was a feminist movie since everyone treats Lucy like crap after she gets pregnant. Baring her from working on marketing cases, (She's a marketing executive btw) blaming all her paranoia on her, making her believe she is going crazy, gaslighting her into getting like a half abortion, and let me expand on that. So when she gets pregnant, she has one female egg, and one male egg that has split into two, so she has to choose either to terminate one of the eggs so that she can have a successful pregnancy. She chooses the girl, and so the whole time you're thinking, okay she's going to have a girl. Twist again, Pierce terminated the female egg, so that the twins could be born, so that "the men could spend his seed." Yeah, I know, this movie is interesting, to say the least. Most reviews for this movie skew negative, and I agree, as I don't understand the plot of this movie. However, I do believe that this movie would have worked if it tied up a lot of loose ends. There is a whole dream sequence that Lucy, in a closet is watching Adrian make out with John, and then orally pleasure John if you know what I mean. Then Adrian's eyes have black goo coming from them, so it must be a dream right? Well, in that dream, the room they're in, cause they're in a hotel, is the combination of the lock of the safe that Adrain has in the house. So... does that mean she's going crazy? Because there is a part where she gets "Xanax," which is obviously not Xanax, and that's maybe where Lucy starts tripping, but no, she has been having weird dreams and seeing things even before that. Also, there is the whole Peter Pan theme, which I don't think makes sense to the movie. Maybe the movie of Peter Pan aligns with this, but the book doesn't have any themes like motherhood, or anything like that. It's about growing up, with yes, a sprinkle of, "Does Peter even exist," but not to the degree of disillusions that seem to happen in this movie. So, to wrap up, I wouldn't waste your time on this. The actors are great, but the plot isn't there, so maybe watch Halloween (2018) instead, or something else of the sort. Stars: 4/5 ⭐️ Falling Inn Love is that women's fantasy movie, you know? Moving to a new continent, having people be nice to you, the hottest guy there falling in love with you. Well, that's the plot. But, I would have to say, it's not horrible. There are a lot of stupid gags in this movie that relate to a goat, and iykyk, so... yeah. But Falling Inn Love is about Gabriela, played by Christina Milian, who after losing her job, and her boyfriend, plays to win an inn in New Zealand, and of course she wins. So she moves there and then realizes that the inn needs a lot of fixing up, so she's going to do it, and make it eco-friendly and stuff, which I love. Also, she keeps bumping to the town hot contractor, Jake Taylor, played by Adam Demos, who loves her cause she's new, and stuff. Also also, they keep running into each other, obvi, and they don't like that. Even though, they should have been like "oh, we're running into each other a lot, maybe the universe wants us to hang out," or something like that, like, c'mon. Also, it's not like Jake is a bad guy, because Gabriela seems annoyed by him a lot, before they start hanging out, even though Jake is, like, the kindest person ever. He's a volunteer firefighter, he works as a contractor, helping everyone, and it seems that everyone likes him, and knows him, because he always pops up in stores, talking to the owners like he's their best friend. But Gabriela doesn't like him at first because he "mansplains" how to fix up the Inn, even though, she has no idea what she's doing, and he's a contractor, so, like, it's his job to know how to fix up things. But let's move on to the movie's antagonist because she is the funniest. Charlotte, played by Anna Jullienne, is just amazing. Her whole character goal is to own both BnB's in their town, which is strange by itself, but whatever. However, she's the one who causes all the problems in the movie, which do even backfire on her. For example, she takes Gabriela's phone, and texts Gabriela's ex, Dean, to come to New Zealand to take her home. Except, Dean brings an investor for the inn, which is called The Bellbird Valley Farm btw. So when that blows up in Charlotte's face, her own BnB burns down, which is just horrible for her, because she isn't a bad character, she's kinda childish, which makes her fun to watch. But while Charlotte is trying to get Gabriela to sell The Bellbird Valley Farm, Gabriela teams up with Jake, finally, to fix up the inn, splitting the cost 50/50, and the profits 50/50, as she plans on flipping and then selling her house. What's weird about this film though is that there is no conflict in a sense. It's just Gabriela and Jake fixing up the home, and the whole climax of the movie is Gabriela deciding to not sell The Bellbird Valley Farm, and stay in New Zealand. The only tiff that happens between them is that Dean, Gabriela's ex, comes to New Zealand, and so Jake thinks (I think) that Gabriela and Dean are going to get back together. Which is like... what? Cause it's obvious that Gabriela doesn't like Dean, and so the whole tiff was weird and stupid, but I digress. In all the movie wasn't the worst, it just felt, like... why? What's the conflict? It kinda feels like watching a YouTube vlog if that makes sense. Also, it introduced Adam Demos to the world, and now he's in Sex/Life, as well as another movie with Victoria Justice, so I'm excited for that. But for Falling Inn Love, it's a good watch, and the title is pretty punny if I do say so myself. Stars: 4/5 ⭐️ I wish I had seen Second Act instead of Otherhood because the two are quite similar, yet Second Act is way better. Following Maya Vargas, played Jennifer Lopez, who gets a job at a high-end cosmetics company, through lying on her resume... though it's not her fault, as she doesn't realize it until she gets the job. Following that, she's is pitted against Zoe, played by Vanessa Hudgens, to make a new skincare product, with Maya's being 100% organic, while still being profitable. And there's this whole thing about how Maya had a child when she was 17, and boom, turns out that it's Zoe, and they're both cool with that, and they start to become friends even though they are pitted against each other. Seeing their relationship grow is quite fun to watch, as both characters are enjoyable to watch because they're both nice people, who just want to get to know the other one more. However, it won't be a good movie without a good villain, and that's Ron, Zoe's co-captain for making their skincare. He's a 20 something college grad, who I think in the movie is a good villain, but his character just doesn't make any logistical sense. Especially since no one else cares about Maya's background except him, so there should have been no reason for him to care. She isn't a threat to him, they're not ex-lovers, Ron isn't trying to get with Zoe and Maya isn't letting it happen, so just seeing him be the villain was just annoying. However, back to Zoe and Maya, whose friendship is so cute, and our backstory on Zoe is well done, as we learn that Zoe left art school to help her dad run his company after her mother passed away, and learning it feels organic, as Maya is learning it at the same time. The whole relationship between the two is to die for because there isn't any petty drama or whatever, they're both mature adults, getting to know each other. And when Maya reveals that she lied on her resume to get her job, even though she created a bomb 100% organic product, Zoe reacts in a ration way of suspicion, not sure what is true or not, and it doesn't feel forced or over the top either. Also, following the plot of Maya creating a 100% organic product, it's well done because, from the start of the movie, she shows her creativity and ingenuity when it comes to completing tasks. So when she comes up with a way for her 100% organic product, it feels like it makes sense. Also, this is just a side note, but Maya's boyfriend, Trey, didn't feel like he was necessary for the movie. It just felt like he was a stick-in because all movies with women need to have happy endings that also involve love, which I don't think was the point of the film. The point of the film seemed like it was about breaking expectations, and making your own family, which makes sense then to have Maya get her boyfriend, back, but it just felt like that whole subplot didn't get the attention and love that it needed to get, to feel fulfilled as a plot. But all the other plots felt like they fit into the overall arc, which was great, and in all the movie was well done. Especially since there really wasn't any weird dialogue or any scenes that felt too forced or anything of the sort. Stars: ∞/5 ⭐️ TW: Sexual Assault & Suicide Wow... just wow. This movie is something else. It's amazing, scary, shocking, thrilling, and amazing. The writing in this film is aspirational because as we move through the story, we learn the backstory from the present moment to the incident that sets this movie off. Following Cassie, an almost doctor, played by Carey Mulligan, as she goes on a tornado of revenge, seeking vengeance on those who played a part in her best friend's suicide. I read somewhere, where someone said that this movie is written like a horror movie, which I can readily agree with, wholeheartedly. I would like to add it doesn't feel like one with all the beautiful imagery in this movie, using similar tricks to Euphoria where it juxtaposes the plot with the cinematography. There is only one shot I would say that is shot like a horror movie, and it's jarring, and honestly shocking, scary, freaky all the fear-related adjectives. This movie is a knockout in all aspects, from the acting to the script, to the costumes, to the pacing of the film, to the commentary. And most of the commentary is how society views sexual assault, especially from a woman's perspective. About halfway through the film, you learn Cassie's friend was sexually assaulted by a boy, but after, no one believed her. Subsequently, she drops out of college, and then committed suicide, and when Cassie encounters people who played a part in it, it's quite jarring. One horrifying instance is with the dean of the school, who is a woman, saying that it's "innocent until proven guilty" with the boy who did it. That is until the dean believes that her daughter is getting sexually assaulted by the same person, and her attitude totally flips. Another time is when Cassie encounters the woman who her friend went to after being sexually assaulted, and the woman didn't believe her. She insinuates that Cassie's friend would hook up with lots of men, so there would be a time where she would "regret who she slept with", which is truly vile. Then her attitude flips again when she believes that she has gotten sexually assaulted herself. And both incidents are incited by Cassie, tricking these women into believing the fake, which makes you think that she might be considered the villain of her story. However, I don't think Cassie is a villain, she is tortured for sure, as at the age of 30, she lives with her parents and still obsesses over her friend's death, while everyone has moved on, leaving Cassie alone with unprocessed feelings, which bubble up in different ways, but mostly playing drunk with guys until they try to have sex with them, and she gives them a talking to about being a good guy. I would also like to say that the "good guys" of this film as played by men who usually play the good guys in shows and movies, which I thought was a nice touch. The whole arc from start to finish is a masterpiece, and I would truly not be surprised if this film was studied in film school later in time, as the film excels in all parts of what makes a film great. Stars: 5/5 ⭐️ I love seeing Victoria Justice get work. And in Afterlife of the Party, she did amazing, so hopefully, more people see this and give her more roles. So, Afterlife of the Party is kinda your standard person dies but has unfinished business movie, but since we've been out of them for a while, it was nice to see this. So, Victoria's character, Cassie, must right her wrongs on Earth, with the help of her friend, Lisa, played by Midori Francis, as Lisa can see Cassie in this film. What was interesting about this movie is it felt written for adults as it has so much emotional depth, but it didn't ever use a single curse word, keeping it kid-friendly. There was a lot of talk about life, and ethics, and lots of real emotional trauma surrounding death and loss, to the point where it felt quite impactful, and it can pull at the heartstrings. And through all of that, Cassie has three goals: Set Lisa up with her neighbor, un-depress her dad, and give closure to her mom, as she left Cassie when she was just a kid. The talks about life and death were quite well done as well to be nuanced and complex without having to seem too adult-y either, which was great, and the portrayal of Purgatory was great as well, as it seemed more like a hotel place instead of a weird middle ground area, like for example The Medium Place like in The Good Place. Also, the chemistry in this movie between all the characters is amazing, but specifically, the chemistry between Victoria Justice and Midori Francis is impeccable in this film, as they feel like real adults in this film, instead of adult characters talking like kids. They bounce off each other, making each other laugh, and making each other cry, and their connection throughout the film carries the movie for sure. And continuing on the word bouncing, Cassie wears this disco-looking dress throughout the movie, which I think is one of the best costume designs as it shows her sparkling personality, how she's the center of attention, and how she reflects others people's light and goodness. The end of the film was interesting as well, as Cassie, obviously, gets into heaven, which is just called "Above" where she meets mega-famous signer Koop, who I guess on earth is like the heartthrob of the world, and she kinda gets together with him in the elevator ride up to heaven. And when they get to heaven, it's this Garden of Eden style place, which looks so beautiful, and they take each other hand and hand, and just walk into the sunset, which was more emotional than I thought it was going to be, as a few scenes prior she had to say goodbye forever to her dad, who was finally able to see her, and Lisa, which was kinda gut-wrenching. But, all and all, Afterlife of the Party is a great family film as it is written for everyone, with characters who feel real and a real rock-solid emotional center. Stars: 4.5/5 ⭐️ So, The Incredible Jessica James is incredible, to say the least. Following, you guested it, Jessica James, a playwright in NYC, after a break up with her boyfriend, meets Boone, a recently divorced guy, and they start to fall in love. It's a simple tale, kinda, but it's with the writing, that makes it a complex story. Jessica is trying to find herself, which is evident in the opening monologue where she is on a date with a guy, for the sole reason to make her ex-boyfriend jealous, and she gives a monologue on what she believes relationships are about. It's also seen when she goes home to Ohio, for her sisters' baby shoer, and she gets her a book about breaking gender norms, which is quite funny, and I think well-executed so that you don't see Jessica as a crazy woman, or a conspire theorist or something. And what's even better is that her ideas don't need to be compromised to get the guy at the end of the film, but what's even better about that, is it isn't really about a guy, it's about Jessica finding herself, through her work, through helping others, and through herself. But let's talk about the guy, Boone, for a second; Boone is a recently divorced man, who at the beginning of the movie stalks his ex-wife of 17 (I think) years, which is hilarious, and yes also kinda creepy, but he wants to move on from her, but at the moment he can't, but he puts a plan into action to do so. And the way that he does that is to get Jessica to follow her on social media, while Boone follows Jessica's ex on social media, so that they don't have to constantly check up on their ex, but they can know if something big does happen to either one. So, Boone, he's actually a character in this movie, and he's quite well written, just like Jessica, we don't learn that much about him, but we do get enough to see that he's a person outside of Jessica which I will take since the movie is only about 85 minutes long. Furthermore, on the writing, there is a whole subplot with Jessica and a local theatre she works at, where she encourages kids to write stage plays, and she has so much love and passion for the craft, that it can sometimes boil over which is what does happen with a character Shandra. There is a writers retreat that Jessica wants everyone to go to, but Shandra can't make it, as she wants to spend time with her dad, which she rarely does, since her parents are divorced, and we see Jessica get mad at Shandra for choosing hanging out with her dad instead of doing theatre. This subplot, I think was what made the writing stand out because we are shown multiple times how much Jessica has a love for stage plays, which is rarely seen in other movies, where characters have a passion, and I think it also brings up the idea of how hard people will work to get what they want, as it seems that Jessica doesn't want anything physical out of the writers weekend, but something emotional. I believe that Jessica's high point of getting into a London Theatre company is also an emotional goal, and less physical, as it proves that what Jessica is doing has worth to other people. This seems to be her main conflict in the movie, where she feels worthless in her work, her love life, and even her family life. So in all, The Incredible Jessica James is a great quick emotional ride, that will keep you entertained with hilarious one-liners, and three-dimensional characters. |
AuthorRyan Jones is an aspiring screenwriting, and an environmental enthusiast and activist. Archives
February 2022
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