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Reviews
Manchester by the Sea (2016)
Casey Affleck gives an excellent performance ...
What a devastating perspective of life in the midst of tragedy. One that concerns the ultimatum of life being destroyed by a simple mistake. There is much to say about this film that many before have said. So all I will say is this film will make you appreciate just how precious life is and how one can easily can lose it all, because of a simple mistake. Tread lightly, and be aware that this is certainly fiction. And while doing so, relish the moments that we share with family. If there is anything that you take away from this film, it should be an understanding that life is unfair, and that we all are subject to its doings. Through the suffering of one man, comes a story of perseverance and suffering that ultimately leads to healing. One does not forget the errors of his ways or the unfortunate events that meet them, but one can pursue redemption and through this change, might overcome the past. The past cannot be erased, but it can be overcome. This is a depressing film to say the least, but worth a watch (if you can handle it). Along with excellent performances all around, this film might be a life changing experience, as it was for me.
Running the Bases (2022)
Don't bother watching if you already haven't
If you somehow found this movie and were forced to watch it then you'll understand the amount of cringe I had to sit through. The acting was not all bad, but there were many, many parts that were just laughable. Despite some very important themes, the message of faith falls flat due terrible editing and just an overall ridiculous plot. The fact that the movie had the protagonist arrested for running on a field was above all ludicrous and insulting to people who are and were arrested for crimes much less than that. Again, dialogue, acting, editing all very bad and unfortunately consistent with many other preachy faith films.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Seriously, you must see this film in theaters
When I went to see this film I had some high expectations as you would with a Christopher Nolan film and I was astonished at just how great this film is. Thanks to a stellar performance from Cillian Murphy, an excellent supporting cast, truly spectacular visuals and an amazing screenplay, this is probably the best film of 2023 if not one of the best films period (truly surprising considering that Spiderverse came out beforehand). Regardless of historical accuracy, despite politics this film will force you to think and glue you to your seat (if you have the attention span for it). All in three hours the story of Robert Oppenheimer's life and work on the creation of the atomic bomb correlate with the events that transpired it masterfully. As with every Nolan film the plot is continuous and fast-pased, but manages to encapsulate all of the significant moments of Oppenheimer's life in a way that presents it as one of achievement and horror. The visual spectacle and the amazing score alone project the true terror and beauty of mankind's biggest threat. This is not just a film about the life of one man and the troubling events that occurred in his lifetime, it is a philosophical exploration of the truly terrifying realization that mankind is it's own worst enemy. I can without a doubt say that this film is one of Nolan's best and will remain as perhaps one of the greatest biopics ever made.
Elf (2003)
How does this only have 7/10 stars?
No matter how many times I watch it I can still thoroughly enjoy it all the way to the end. If there was ever a Christmas movie to top all Christmas movies in the 21st century it is without a doubt Elf. Will Ferrel not only gives a spectacular performance (along with a great supporting cast) he carries the film without leaving a single shot wasted. With a perfectly fantastical score, beautifully nostalgic scenery and a very hilarious but original story this movie doesn't disappoint. What more can you ask for in a Christmas film? Whether you like it or not, this movie from start to finish is a classic and it's hard to say it's anything less.
Wendell & Wild (2022)
I had such high hopes for this film
But alas it is a huge disappointment. I expect more from a Henry Selick since he has directed some of the most prestigious films of the past couple decades and any fan of his work can see that. But good animation does not equal a "masterpiece" by any means.
Despite phenomenal animation and character design and some fairly good voice acting the story just doesn't seem to go anywhere. It's muddled with too many sub plots and the copious amount of characters makes it hard to focus on the tragic story of the protagonist. Once we understand Cat's past it is almost immediately brushed aside with the introduction to the various characters which is somewhat jarring to say the least.
It feels like the film mainly focused on the efforts of animating the film more than the writing that went into it. There is just not enough breathing room for this film to get into any character development. I had faith that the pace would slow down and more of the aforementioned problems would be corrected but I couldn't even get halfway through.
What put the nail in the coffin for me was the completely unnecessary addition of gender politics and the not so secret agenda against private prisons (which I am not entirely against). This is a children's movie for Christ's sakes. There is no need for this kind of propagandist pushing in film designed for families. For anyone who sees how politics destroy good stories this movie is an example of how even a film with great visuals and good acting doesn't mean anything.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)
Hey here's an idea....
Let's criticize the majority of our own fanbase that dislikes the gender politics of our content and then let's criticize our own lack of creativity because why the hell not?!
Marvel, if you wanted more people to dislike you, congratulations, you have succeeded. I could not be more disappointed that Marvel chooses to hate on its viewers and has nothing but a lame-ass therapy session with CGI to show for it. The amount of cringe in this show is enough to make me question my life choices.
What's bad:
Jennifer Walters (or Jen as she is frequently called) is a character that is both obnoxious and entitled yet she seems to garner much sympathy despite her ignorance of her own problems (which the series either glosses over or likens to heroism). All of the other characters that don't include cameos exist solely to fill in the gaps that were left when writing the protagonist's unsurprisingly underwhelming personality. The endless amount of pointless cameos seems to accentuate the lack of creativity in the writing department. Not to mention the fact that She-Hulk's animation does no favors. It looks terrible compared to Hulk's and that includes most of the effects in this show which are just unbelievably bad. None of the jokes are funny and every pathetic attempt at depicting certain groups of men as misogynistic and idiotic seems to add more problems to the already problematic storyline. The plot of course is as mundane as you can get where the fight scenes are almost as interesting as watching Jen walking and texting for five minutes and the story consists of various legally incorrect and laughable court scenes. How ironic. It's also important to note that Daredevil makes an appearance and immediately bonds with Jen after knowing her for all of two episodes. And who can forget the iconic and empowering scene where She Hulk twerks with Megan Thee Stallion (guess they had a budget for that)? I certainly wish that I could.
What's good:
Abomination is in it I guess and the show ends eventually. (Even that's stretching it).
Basically, this is a show about a middle-aged woman complaining about how god-damn annoying and inconvenient her life is all while being a successful lawyer and possessing superhuman abilities. This includes bringing a slew of forgettable side characters and cameos along for the ride. Apparently this is entertaining to some people. Last I checked, Marvel was about stellar action and satisfying storytelling that all tied into a deeper, thickening plot that at some point would resolve. Now it's just series after series, movie after movie and no dots are connected. It just feels like the purpose of this show is to satisfy the needs of lonely, rich, single, middle-aged women who glanced over the comics just to say they understand the material they're writing. Spoiler alert, the storyline sucks as a result. Go watch Infinity War or WandaVision or something like that if you want to have a good or at least decent time. Don't waste the precious hours of your life on a show that refuses to have any redeeming qualities whatsoever and actively dislikes the fact that you won't like their show. It's not only incredibly ironic how Marvel manages to pretend to mock itself and yet simultaneously be a mockery of its own making but also insults fans who miss what Marvel used to be. For that I give this show an outstanding 1/10.