fjvthe Reviews

Slow Burn (2005)

Not bad...

[7/10 · 25 November 2023]

'Slow Burn' starts as a "slow burn" (hehe). In all seriousness, this was a solid B-movie with some notable actors (Ray Liotta was as good as always). In all honesty, I've written reviews on IMDB before but I'm not that knowledgeable on the filmmaking process. I just say whether a movie is good, bad, or in between and whether you should watch it or not. Cut and dry, that is it (this being a line delivered from Al Pacino from the Michael Mann movie 'Heat'). Getting back to 'Slow Burn,' as I mentioned earlier, the movie started out slow, but started picking up in the middle. Towards the end, there were lots of twists and turns (some of which actually surprised me). If a movie can get me to feel genuinely shocked at a plot twist then it did its job by thoroughly entertaining me.

Happy Gilmore (1996)

One of Sandler's better movies.

[7/10 · 14 September 2023]

Before I review this movie, I would just like to preface that I'm not the most knowledgeable on film production, hence why I will not go much into detail on the camera work, the script, the direction, etc. Now, having said all of that, Happy Gilmore is one of Sandler's better movies. This movie made me laugh. That's a tough thing to do considering I'm not big into comedies, especially nowadays where comedy has lost its raunchiness. I'd say the funniest parts of the movie (in my opinion) is when Happy (Sandler) has his temper tantrums out on the golf course. Christopher McDonald is great as Shooter McGavin and plays the villainous role really well. Overall, solid comedy. 7/10.

Retribution (I) (2023)

Uhhh... I don't really know how to feel...

[5/10 · 26 August 2023]

When I walked out of the theater I almost felt... empty... but I don't wanna say that the movie is bad, but... then again, I don't wanna say the movie is good either. It's your standard Liam Neeson thriller (with a little less action), but has the ability to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. Luckily, the movie is only an hour and a half long, so it's not excruciatingly long. The main twist of the movie was sort of surprising, but at the same time made sense in the grand scheme of things, so I guess it could be considered 'predictable' depending on who you ask. I guess at this point I'll just throw it smack dab in the middle. As a I wrote before, not good, not bad. 5/10.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Not bad but not good either...

[6/10 · 24 August 2023]

Let me just preface by saying that I've never watched any of the Mission: Impossible films prior to this one, so I'm not a fan (nor a hater) of the series. My review might be a little skewed due to me going to a late showing. I was honestly starting to fall asleep around the midway point, but was able to wake myself up and power through the rest of it. I might consider re-watching this in my local theater again or maybe when it comes to a streaming service, but I'll make sure to watch it when I'm not wanting to nod off.

Now, onto the actual review. This movie in short is... OK. I mean everything about this movie is just mid-tier at best; the acting, the action, the cast, etc. The biggest problem I have with this movie is that it felt incomplete. Of course, Dead Reckoning - Part 2 is supposed to be coming out so hopefully it gives me a sense of closure. I guess the setting/scenery is nice and I will hand it to Tom Cruise, him doing his own stunts is pretty cool.

Knives Out (2019)

Thought the sequel 'Glass Onion' was better.

[5/10 · 23 August 2023]

This movie is just... alright. I don't have anything positive nor negative to say other than the cast being it's obvious positive. Seeing Daniel Craig in a non James Bond role is a little weird for me, so I guess I'm still trying to get used to that. I truly don't have much more to say than this. I will say that my review shouldn't really matter to anyone else, because everyone has different opinions and tastes and as far as I can tell, this movie is generally praised by most people. If I were anyone else, I would just wait for it to come on a steaming service because I don't think it's worth spending money on. All in all, I guess it's OK time killer.

Motherless Brooklyn (2019)

Not terrible.

[6/10 · 23 August 2023]

In my humble opinion, this movie drags for the first 2 hours and then gets good in the last 30 minutes, so for what's it's worth, it bumped my rating up by 1-2 points. I will add that this movie is most certainly not for those with short attention spans and should be avoided at all costs if that is the case. One positive that I have taken away from this movie is the acting, it's superb. The great acting shouldn't be a surprise considering the ensemble cast. I can appreciate a slow burn drama and I have definitely seen a lot worse than this, but I feel like this is one of those movies I will only watch once and probably never watch it again. Overall, not terrible. It's an OK time killer if you have nothing else going on.

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Very boring indeed.

[3/10 · 22 August 2023]

I'm not one to usually complain about long runtimes for movies, but this one is excruciating, and I only made it through the first 50 minutes. In hindsight, I should've put something else on within the first 30 minutes. The only two reasons why I put this movie on in the first place was for A: Michael Mann (who is the executive producer), and B: Matt Damon and Christian Bale. Jon Bernthal is an OK actor, but I didn't think he was very good in this role. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone because I'm not big into racing movies (or racing in general), other than to maybe someone who is big into cars, racing, etc.

Aquaman (2018)

Not bad at all.

[7/10 · 21 August 2023]

I will preface by saying that this review is coming from a person who never could stand super hero films, but was pleasantly surprised for what took place on the TV screen. I'll be honest, Jason Momoa is an OK actor, I've never really been a huge fan of his, but he was good (for the most part) in the movie. Patrick Wilson did a phenomenal job as the main antagonist and Willem Dafoe was as good as always. I will be seeing the sequel to this movie that is coming out in a few months because that's how solid this movie was. I will say one complaint that I have is that the CGI isn't the greatest but eh, I won't get deep into it because it was decent enough. I urge anyone (whether you're into superhero movies or not) to give this movie a watch, especially if you're fascinated by the ocean and/or underwater beings.

Primal Fear (1996)

A very solid movie.

[7/10 · 21 August 2023]

First off, I have to give a round of applause for Edward Norton's performance; he most certainly deserved to be nominated for an academy award and arguably should have won it. Richard Gere does a fine job as Martin Vail, and I wish he would've played an attorney more throughout his career, but hey it is what it is. The absolute best part of the movie is the ending when the big twist comes though in all honesty, it didn't really surprise all that much, it just confirmed my suspicions. The courtroom sequences are fairly entertaining and this is an overall solid drama and would recommend anyone to give this movie a shot.

Michael Clayton (2007)

Eh. Not bad I guess.

[6/10 · 17 August 2023]

This movie is just... ok... The acting is solid and the story isn't hard to follow but the movie is maybe 15-30 minutes too long, but I won't nitpick on the runtime. Michael Clayton may not be everyones cup of tea due to it mostly being a crime/drama type of film. This is Gilroy's first and probably his best movie he has directed to date, so this isn't a terrible directing debut. Overall, I'd say it's a decent watch on a weeknight after a hard days work and you just need to watch a movie that is a bit of a slow burner and not too action packed. Clooney has better movies out there, namely the Oceans Trilogy, which are solid movies all around.

Identity (2003)

Not bad at all.

[7/10 · 17 August 2023]

I've seen this movie once before but it's been a couple of years, so I forgot everything. I just got done watching it, and Identity is one of the those movies that I thought would be some cheaply made B movie with a decent cast. All of the actors involved did a fine job, and this is honestly one of Mangold's best/underrated titles in his arsenal. There are a few plot twists toward the end of the movie that were honestly kind of unexpected for me. This is an overall solid psychological thriller and what makes this movie even better is the fact that it's only an hour and a half long, so for those of you who aren't into slow burn movies, this is for you.

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

A very solid movie.

[8/10 · 16 August 2023]

I will preface by saying that Christopher Nolan is one of the best (if not the best) filmmakers known to man. The performances of all actors involved, whether it be Cillian Murphy (who was absolutely fantastic in his role as J. Robert Oppenheimer), Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, and many more. The three hour run time didn't bother me, but it may not be suitable for those with short attention spans because the movie is so dialogue heavy and attentiveness is required to understand what's going on. I don't really have anything negative to say about the movie. I will say that opinions (just like any other movie) will differ vastly due to the movie being considered a "slow burn," which some people like and some who don't.

Django Unchained (2012)

Was gonna give the movie a 7 or 8/10 until...

[5/10 · 14 August 2023]

It got ridiculously unrealistic with Foxx effortlessly mowing down every guy in his path without a getting a scratch in return. I like most of Tarantino's movies but this one ended up leaving a bad taste in my mouth. The only bright spots of the movie were Christoph Waltz and Leo DiCaprio. I'm not a huge Jamie Foxx fan to begin with but I still chose to give this movie a shot ONLY because I heard nothing but "great things" about it. I should also mention that Samuel L. Jackson does a fine job in the smaller role that he played in the movie. I understand that it is supposed to be a feel good story. The character of Django had a every right to reign terror upon all of the white folks who CONDONED slavery, BUT it still should beg the question, does that make him better than them?