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thaddeuscharles
Reviews
Back to Black (2024)
Whine, House and Men
The driving force for this film is the quality acting and sensational soundtrack. In particular, Marisa Gabrielle Abela and Jack O'Connell had outstanding performances. Yet, overall this portrayal of Amy Whinehouse lacks the depth that her creative process for her phenomenal album Back to Black deserves. Majority of this movie is based on her relationships with drugs and men (primarily her father and ex-husband) rather than the magnificent work of art (for which this movie is named) that gained her so many accolades and worthy notoriety. I was yearning to see more of her New York process in the making of BACK TO BLACK, yet the director clumsily wasted significant screen time lingering on aspects that didn't move the story forward. Ultimately, it is a decent movie but missable.
X-Men '97 (2024)
Going ROGUE
X-Men 97 is a quality continuation and adaptation of the prior series and the comic books. As someone who grew up reading these stories I highly appreciated this condensed and abbreviated version of these story arcs. My main issues were with the illogical and convoluted use of time-travel and the inconsistencies in the mutant abilities of the some characters. Regardless, the overall story was excellent. Furthermore, showing the narratives and perspectives of each parties interests gave depth and understanding to the complexities of life. This story is so well written that a clear-cut distinction between heroes versus villains becomes a debatable topic which makes X-Men 97 worth recommending.
Monkey Man (2024)
Trailer Bait.
The best parts of the movie was seen in the trailer. There was
potential here due to an engaging origin story which could have been a quality setup for a vigilante revenge hero movie but it wanes fast.
The directing was terrible. The pace and sequencing was frustrating and annoying. The use of constant flash backs that could have been done in one opening scene, disjointed nonsensical illogical jump cuts, a worthless training montage and unnecessary underground criminal network scenes made this movie feel amateurish and insults the audience's intelligence.
The enemies were generic epitomes of evil with constant scowls, menacing stares and lacking any good qualities.
I didn't have any emotional attachment to the characters. I was completely impartial to the majority of deaths in this film.
Rock bottom moment was when trans glitter dress squad joins the fight. Utterly ridiculous.
Please save your time and money.
Snowfall (2017)
Crack and us...
Snowfall is a well-crafted compelling story about growing up in an urban environment and having to navigate through an multitude of obstacles such as dysfunctional families, poverty-stricken neighborhoods, gang affiliation, clashing cultures, destructive highly addictive drugs, corrupt government, and personal demons.
With Damson Idris as Franklin Saint being the driving force we are taken on a brutal yet exhilarating ride through the 1980s that felt very familiar to many of us inner city latchkey kids.
The show's brilliance is shown in a majority of elements starting with the cinematography and directing but it's the captivating and haunting performances by an outstanding cast of actors that is the soul of Snowfall.
The genius of this show is fully displayed in the storytelling by emphasizing rewards and punishments in the consequences paid to the main agitators and those around them for any choices and all actions. Furthermore, the character development was magnificent having to kill the monsters that you helped create, the duality of urban and street code in contrast to suburban and government ethics or surpassing being the typical products of your environment. Lastly, the completion of character arcs leaves the audience satisfied knowing the entirety of a characters life purpose has been fulfilled.
We are all damaged goods filled with flaws and beauty.
Bob Marley: One Love (2024)
Triumphant Tribute to an ICON!
The casting, acting and directing were excellent. Lashanda Lynch's Oscar-worthy performance as Rita set the tone. She deserves at least a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The soundtrack was executed to perfection by using Bobby Marley's timeless classics in an efficient and engaging manner it gave this movie a tempo and vibe that energized the audience. Furthermore, the high level cinematography displayed magnificent landscape visuals while also zooming in for intimate closeups to enhance the moment. Being of Jamaican heritage the speaking in patois made the movie feel more authentic and believable. At its heart this is a love story. The love of music, the love for a soulmate and true companionship, the love for a people, and love for the world. The message outlasts the messenger. This depiction of Bob Marley's phenomenal story and message is top-notch. ONE LOVE!
Invincible (2021)
Season Two is DISAPPOINTING
I rated Season One 9/10, but Season Two was a huge disappointment. As a Robert Kirkland fan and an adamant reader of the comic book I felt Season Two has gone way too far from the source material. The storytelling and plot has become too convoluted and burdened down by whiny teenage emotional drama. Furthermore, it was bad enough that this season is basically a soap opera, but many episodes also turn into therapy sessions often with characters sobbing in tears. Maybe I'm old school but superheroes crying every episode does not feel very super. Lastly, three major storytelling tropes that I highly dislike are multidimensional portals, time travel paradoxes and numerous fake deaths put them together in one season and we all just wasted hours of our lives because each of these tropes fixes everything and anything. These plot escape holes have become redundant, frustrating and annoying. Usually, using tropes in this manner means lazy writing and a cash grab, thusly I'm done with Invincible.
Django Unchained (2012)
My Man Django!
An heroic tale that is masterfully crafted by one of the greatest directors of our time. Using superb casting, acting and dialogue to immerse the viewer in a place and time that feels familiar, believable and foreign at the same time. This film tantalizes your senses visually with amazing scenic landscape portraits while stimulating your mind and imagination with drama, suspense and comedy as you explore an uplifting journey from slavery to salvation. Tarantino brilliantly intertwines bounty hunters, an early iteration of the Klan, Candy land and a plantation with style and grace. Definitely on my list of top ten favorite films!
Origin (2023)
Caste Away
The genius of this film comes from its source material which finds the connection between Blacks, Jews, Dalits, "containers verse character", it's not race or color, but the true problem is a system of caste. Also, by defining the pillars of a caste system it makes the strategic purposeful oppression easily identifiable so the audience can recognize it in many scenarios throughout history, locations and cultures. Ultimately, the belief that humans deserve a right in the pursuit of mating, opportunity for success and freedom of expression reigns supreme.
I prefer Ava Duvernay when topic is more streamlined. Otherwise, her directing feels clumsy and the story gets convoluted. With an immense budget, different cultures, timeframes and diverse characters I feel her imagination actually hurts her directing talent. An example is her phenomenal work on "When They See Us" compared to a low point of her career with "A Wrinkle In Time." Furthermore, the acting and dialogue are average, thusly I did not feel a personal or emotional attachment to characters lives or deaths. Some portions felt like trauma porn. The house metaphor made sense as an exploration of present day verse history, but I'm not sure if the connection was made to the audience of the immense amount of progress that has been made in society.
Leave the World Behind (2023)
World of humanity
A well-written suspenseful film which entices the viewer to think "what would I do in this situation?" The plot slowly develops to reveal how life can change majorly due to no fault of your own. It also forces the audience to examine human nature beneath physical appearances, preconceived notions, stereotypes and symbols of wealth. The visuals are stunning and creative. The director used the cameras to add character and perspective dynamics to keep viewers engaged and entertained throughout. Furthermore, each character had compelling dialogue that felt authentic and original. High quality acting performances by the cast, especially Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali. I recommend to ignore any reviews and watch for yourself because it's definitely worth it!
Fences (2016)
Who do you love?
Quality acting but a weak unfulfilling story that is extremely one-dimensional. Furthermore, felt slow-paced, monotonous and dull. This is not a portrayal of a man that displays pure honest love and affection for his wife, children or life but a tale of bitterness, resentment, and selfishness. If you expect a gratifying ending or an amicable resolution this movie is not for you. Focused mainly on negative aspects that may be exist with a parental figure in some aspects but these characteristics seem overwhelming and all encompassing in Troy Maxson. I highly disliked the protagonist due to lack of relatability and no redeeming qualities.
Barbie (2023)
Barbie's Bait & Switch
Quality acting that was believable and made a connection with the audience. Visually stimulating and good world-building while establishing rules governing Barbie Land versus reality. The topics addressed are important conversation starters, questioning societal and personal issues. At times it may portray a narrow, negative, one-dimensional portrayal for some of the characters. Later in the film portions of the dialogue gets preachy which takes away from the energy of the movie leaving the viewer feeling deflated. Also, there's no significant resolution among the conflicting parties. Furthermore, it pushes a zero sum game instead of cooperation. Lastly, Marketed like fun for the whole family but probably not the best entertainment for some family structures and age groups.
Gen V (2023)
Oh Boy, spin-off got me spinning.
A clever superhero twist on suspenseful mystery solving! The topic of mental illness is addressed in a very interesting and creative way by having superheroes in straight jackets, with schizophrenia, cutting themselves or one who uses bulimia to access power. Also, the gore, sex, and nudity at times felt excessive and not necessary to advance the plot. Characters often display narcissistic, self righteous and annoying attributes. Acting was decent, but the dialogue was weak. The plot had potential but it was weighed down by burdensome convoluted issues. I recommend watching The Boys, but skipping Gen V.
Succession (2018)
Successful Succession!
Modern day masterpiece that magnificently captures the power and personal perspectives in family dynamics, social relationships, morals, ethics, politics, and finances. We are all selfish, thusly the main question always is, What's in it for me?
Lost a point due to convenient timing and character placement. Prime example: Mattson leaking he's shiving Shiv the night before the board vote and Greg's google translation. Also, minor issue is the repetitive rise and fall of the siblings. It actually became expected, but due to my emotional attachment great acting, directing, dialogue and camera work it hurt regardless.
I highly recommend watching!
They Cloned Tyrone (2023)
They Cloned Peele Wrong
1. Decent premise but terrible execution. Lacks quality character development and the attempt at universe creation is filled with plot holes.
2. Social commentary has worthy subject matter but not new or unknown information. Nor does the movie explore quality options or solutions.
3. Good acting but weak dialogue. There isn't any memorable or meaningful moments or quotes that resonate with me to have a lasting impact. Furthermore, comedic scenes fall far from the mark. While scenes that should be emotionally impactful actually feel robotic and detached.
4. Audio was atrocious. It was extremely hard to hear what each character was saying. It may be necessary to use subtitles.
The Lion King (2019)
2019 Lion King still shines!
2019 Lion King still shines but the remake is not as good as original. The original Lion King is so good that even this version still has moments of greatness. Furthermore, the computer generated landscapes are magnificent (at times I was literally in awe with the realistic beauty created) but some changes were NOT beneficial:
1. Beyoncé casting and solo song didn't blend with vibe of film. "Are you with me, lions!"
2. Timon and Pumbaa were not as funny.
3. Shenzi the Hyena as the leader which is a decent and acceptable change in this version.
4. Cartoon version was extremely more emotional expressive.