Everyday (2018) Movie Review

~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

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Summary: A shy teenager falls for someone who transforms into another person every day.
Pros:
Cast and Characters. So the weird thing is that we really only spend time with two characters, it’s just that one of them wakes up in a different body everyday. So I’m going to handle this one a bit differently then I normally would.
  • Angourie Rice as Rhiannon. The summary calls her “shy” but I wouldn’t really call her shy but she’s not like a popular kid or anything. She’s the girl next door. She’s a nice girl and she definitely tries to understand whatever A is, which was nice about her. I liked Angourie Rice, she was pretty, likable in the role and I believed that she was into A, because she seemed to have fun with whoever he was, once she got used to the idea.
So below is the entire list of actors who play the character “A”. 
  • Justice Smith as Justin. He is Rhiannon’s boyfriend so we get to see him the most. The movie starts off with A in Justin, and apparently Justin isn’t the best boyfriend but A gives Rhiannon a great time, so when Justin returns, she’s confused and he’s confused because she keeps referencing something he doesn’t remember. I’ve only seen Justice Smith once before this movie, and he’s likable, even though Justin is a jerk, he was still kind of likable lol.
  • Jeni Ross as Amy. The second one A is in, and who might confuse the audience if they don’t know what’s going on.
  • Lucas Jade Zumann as Nathan. The third one, he shows up at a party, and connects with Rhiannon, pretending to be the cousin of the guy who is throwing the party. A doesn’t make it back to Nathan’s house so he thinks he was possessed by a demon lol.
  • Rory McDonald as David. I think he was blind so nothing really happened here.
  • Katie Douglas as Megan. This is when Rhiannon started to get weirded out because A told her, what was going on.
  • Jacob Batalon as James. More exposition. They sit in a diner.
  • Ian Alexander as Vic. He goes to Rhiannon’s school just to see her, and they talk more.
  • Sean Jones as George. More talking but this is finally where Rhiannon starts to get a little more comfortable but they stay in the library.
  • Colin Ford as Xavier. They go away for the weekend, we don’t learn much about him but it seems that Rhiannon liked him physically.
  • Jake Sim as Michael. His family was going on vacation and according the rules, if A left the area in another person’s body then wherever that person stayed, is where A will stay. So he ran back to Rhiannon.
  • Nicole Law as Kelsea. She was dealing with a lot, and this is where it’s discovered that A could stay in a person’s body for a time, so they did and got Kelsea help.
  • Karena Evans as Hannah. The first time where A was in a body that they couldn’t hang out together as Hannah had a boyfriend, but I think this was their first kiss.
  • Owen Teague as Alexander. So Rhiannon knows Alexander, they’re in the same class, he’s a good kid and A stays in him for a while, and then A makes a decision for Rhiannon while inside of Alexander. He did seem like a good kid. It’s just so weird to see Owen Teague being crazy Patrick Hockstetter and then being this kid lol.
  • Hannah Richardson as Katie. The last person we see A in for the film.
Chemistry between A & Rhiannon. I think this movie banks on these two feeling like two people who are connecting past physicality. It’s kind of weird since A is a different person every time we see them, but it always manages to work out where Angourie Rice connects with whoever A is inhabiting.
The Story/Message. At its heart, the movie wants to say that love can go past the physical connection. Love is really what’s on the inside which is a sweet message. I don’t think it’s trying to push any kind of agenda or anything like that (the book I felt kind of did that in one particular part) but it’s managing to do it in the guise of a teen romance movie, which works in its own way.
Cons:
A as a Character. They’re not a bad character, it’s just that we never get to know them. We know Rhiannon way more which allows us to like and connect with her, but we never really get to know A. In the book, it’s told through their point of view so we get to see how their mind works and how they handle their life, but because the movie kind of follows Rhiannon (there’s a companion book Another Day which is told in her point of view) which keeps us from really knowing A. It really bothered me to be honest. All we get is all of the exposition that A gives every time their with Rhiannon. It was kind of annoying because A was just this mysterious being and while I like Rhiannon, I’d rather know what A is dealing with as the person they’re living as, but I guess the movie needed a constant which would be Rhiannon. *sighs*
Unanswered Plot threads. The book handles it a bit better I think, but we never really get to know what happened with that kid who claimed that he was possessed by the devil. Rhiannon goes to visit him but that’s the last time we see of him, in the book, we get a bit more of a plot with that character and I think it would have added a bit of edge to the movie so it wouldn’t just be this cheesy teen romance. I also would have liked for the movie to explore the idea that A wonders if there is anyone else out there like them. Yeah, they mention to Rhiannon that they’ve thought about it, but that’s it.
Weak storytelling. Sooooo I did not like the way the movie told the story. There was so much exposition that I would roll my eyes every time Rhiannon spoke with A. Yeah, I get that she needs to understand what’s going on, but that slows the movie down and it feels longer than it is, or even should be. This is literally how it would go “Rhiannon sees kid who might be A, talks to them for a while, and then maybe they have a moment” rinse and repeat. It’s not until we get into Colin Ford’s A (Xavier) that something really and actually happens. I think they could have either got Rhiannon to get on board a lot earlier and just let them be together or just limited the amount of exposition.
Overall, I thought it was a good movie. I had some issues, but I was also thinking of the book and how the book handled certain things in the story, which I thought the movie changed for no particular reason. Angourie Rice is good in her role, she’s likable, and sweet and she manages to handle the movie on her own, and she has good chemistry with all of the people who “A” inhabits, which is pretty cool. I also thought the message, “love transcends physical” is pretty cute and the movie managed to make that happen within these YA movie, without it coming off as cheesy. My problem with the movie comes from the audience not really getting the chance to know who A is, yeah we see them but we know get to really know them. I also didn’t really care for how the story was told, there was a looooot of talking and when they’re finally together, it’s pretty quick. But it’s a sweet movie, pretty harmless.
Rating: 3.3 out of 5 stars. 
Have you seen Everday? Did you read the book? What did you think of the film and let me know in the comments below, the answer to my big question.
Big Question: Would you be able to be with someone who changed bodies every day?
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Kidnap (2017) Movie Review

~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

kidnap

Summary: A mother stops at nothing to recover her kidnapped son.
Another short review! yay!
Pros:
Halle Berry. Normally, I don’t really find Halle Berry to be that good of an actress. I think she has hits and misses, and while I don’t think this movie is good, I thought she was very committed to her role and she did her thing.
The First 30 Minutes. I was into the first 30 minutes with the adorable video of Frankie growing up, and then all the way to him being abducted, and Karla seeing him being put into a car. She chases them in that tank of a minivan, and she was intent on following them. All of that was very entertaining to watch and I was really into it for a little while.
The Van. It’s not a character but that minivan was EVERYTHING! That red van lasted through everything. It was amazing. It got hit by cars, she was swerving that thing though traffic. SO MUCH! It didn’t even run out of gas until we had maybe 20 minutes of film left lol, that thing was the MVP of the movie, the REAL star.
Entertaining. The movie was very entertaining, for the most part. I did enjoy it for a little while, or I enjoyed it during certain intervals. Whenever Karla was actually having physical interactions with the kidnappers, that was fun to see.
Cons:
Not Original. Obviously, this premise isn’t anything original, but this movie is literally like The Call, another Halle Berry movie, especially the end. While watching it, I kept going “this movie is just like that other Halle Berry” movie lol.
The Chase. I was really into it in the beginning, but it really just remains the same thing for such a long time, that I lost a bit of interest. I wanted her to find her kid, but she spent most of the movie in her car, talking to herself. It got old really quickly.
The Ending. So, I don’t want to spoil too much, I kind of don’t care, but I don’t want to spoil too much, but there’s a line that a reporter says and I’m still trying to understand how they figured that out. So, there was a child abduction ring, but how exactly did they find the other people in such a short amount of time to even arrest anyone in other states?? How??
Overall, don’t expect much from this movie. The title is super lazy “Kidnap”, NO really? Lol but I did enjoy most of it. I thought Halle Berry was good as a mother who never stops going after her son. The movie is definitely an advertisement for a minivan, and the chase at first was really entertaining and fun to watch. The plot is straightforward but nothing else happens, after a while the chase gets old. Basically, it’s like “chase, chase chase, she stops because they threaten the child” then “chase some more, she tries to get people’s attention” and rinse and repeat. The ending also has some really stupid comments going on there, MAKES NO SENSE!! If you want a mindless adventure, then sure watch Kidnap.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.
Have you seen Kidnap? Let me know your thoughts on this movie down below in the comments!
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Happy Death Day (2017) Movie Review

~ Alyxwrites ~ 1 Comment

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Summary: A college student must relive the day of her murder over and over again, in a loop that will end only when she discovers her killer’s identity.
Pros:
Cast and Characters. Since Tree keeps living the day over and over again, we meet a lot of people but there are really only two constants that I’m going to talk about for the film.
  • Jessica Rothe as Theresa “Tree” Gelbman. Our main character, she wakes up in a dorm room, not really sure what happened the night before. She goes through her day, it’s her birthday but she doesn’t particularly want to celebrate it. But on her way to a party, she gets killed and her day restarts. So, throughout the film, she basically keeps trying to prevent the death, but gets killed. She is not the nicest person at first and while I never really wanted her to die, you kind of get it. Plus, you start making lists of who might want to kill her considering how indifferent she is to people. But as the film continues, you begin to understand her and watch as she becomes more and more desperate. She gets smarter in how she handles things, kind of and she tries to do right by others because it could make a difference. It was really cool watching her try and solve the problem, while also becoming a bit badass in the end. I thought Jessica Rothe did a great job in basically having the film on her own. Between her comedic timing, her reactions to dying and everything else, I very much enjoyed watching her in this film.
  • Israel Broussard as Carter Davis. Nice guy, Tree wakes up to him every time since it’s his dorm room she wakes up in. He took her back to his place because she was wasted, and he didn’t want anything to happen to here. There are a few times where she tells him what happened to her and he tries to help, and each time he’s understanding. He’s a great guy. I liked him quite a bit. The actor is likable, and he has good chemistry with Jessica Rothe, and he quickly becomes a nice friend for her.
Thrilling. It’s not scary, I didn’t think it would be, but it’s very thrilling. You know that the killer is behind her, or in the bathroom or whatever, and it’s creepy but it’s very thrilling to watch. When she thinks she’s figured it out, or when she’s testing out the suspects on her list, it’s entertaining to watch. I mean, her dying isn’t but the whole process is. There were times where I was legit freaked out, especially in the beginning when she first gets killed, that whole thing with the music box, creeped out, plus the whole idea with the baby mask. I would never go to a college where the mascot was a Baby. No thanks.
The Deaths. I thought it was really cool to see her wake up feeling or reacting to whatever her death was the night before. When this kind of stuff happens, it’s usually just them waking up with a gasp and thinking about what happened, but Tree would wake up screaming, or spitting out whatever to whatever happened that caused them to die, or if she was angry at dying, she would angrily freak out. I quite liked how different that was compared to how other “time loop” movies handle the reset. It was also pretty unique how her body maintains her injuries even after she’s had a reset.
Humorous. It’s actually pretty funny. It’s kind of a slasher, horror film, but it’s also really funny and light-hearted in certain areas. Like when she starts trying to find out who’s killing her, or her interactions with other people when she walks back to her sorority house. It’s surprisingly funny. Jessica Rothe gets all that credit, well that and the writing but she’s great.
Cons:
Obvious Villain. I knew who it was from the beginning. Probably not supposed to be a secret but you totally know from the trailers and you definitely know. They do try to trip you up, but I was like “nah”. Plus, I thought the motivation was also really dumb, or at least really juvenile. Since I knew it was that person, I wondered what exactly the problem was, I knew it had something to do with Tree probably being mean, but still, lame motivation.
The Slasher Part. I think the movie is trying to wear a few different hats, but while the slasher part is in there, I don’t think it’s as important as some of the other things the movie wants to focus on. It’s definitely lacking considering how the first time through the day, it’s kind of scary but after that that particular tone is not the same anymore. So, it’s marketed as a horror film and while it starts out as one, it doesn’t maintain that tone.
Overall, I quite enjoyed Happy Death Day. I thought it was a fun, funny, thrilling movie with a great lead. Jessica Rothe was great to watch, she was energetic, charismatic and funny. I think the movie is surprisingly funny, I wasn’t really expecting to laugh the way I did. I don’t think the movie is a comedy by any means, but it does have a lot of humorous elements, like, I mean the killer wears a baby face mask, that’s funny (and creepy) and one of her deaths is with a bong hahaha. That’s funny.  I also enjoyed how the deaths were handled. While, Tree got a reset each day, it wasn’t like there was no repercussions for her, because she felt all of them and I thought that was very realistic compared to the “slate wiped clean” kind of thing. I do think the villain was obvious, not to mention the motivation for this whole thing was also really stupid. Also, why did she have a time loop anyway? I wish these time loop movies would allow for some kind of explanation other than the fact that it’s just happening. But I also think the slasher bit, or the horror bit of the film is lacking compared to how the movie made it out to be. The first time we meet the killer it’s intense and kind of horror like, but after that, it turns into a different kind of movie. But whatever, I had fun.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Have you seen Happy Death Day? What did you think about it? Do you think it’s more of a “Dark comedy” or a “Horror Comedy”? Let me know your thoughts down below!
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Home Again (2017) Movie Review

~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

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Summary: Life for a single mom in Los Angeles takes an unexpected turn when she allows three young guys to move in with her.
This is going to be a short review.
Pros:
Cast and Characters. Honestly everyone in this movie is fine.  They’re just fine.
  • Reese Witherspoon as Alice Kinney. She is a mother of two who is recently separated from her husband. She wants to start and interior design business. She starts off being sad and lonely but when she meets three young guys trying to make it in LA, she lets them stay in her home and she is a bit awkward about it at first, but she opens up to them more. They become ingrained her life, for different reasons and as always Reese Witherspoon is cute in her role. She’s just fine and her character is likable as she is trying to just continue her life, while also doing the best she can for her daughters.
  • Pico Alexander as Harry Dorsey. He is one of the three aspiring filmmakers. He was the director and seems to be the one who tries to keep the other two on their path. Harry is Teddy’s older brother and the one who Alice meets first, and they hit it off. He seems like a nice guy, it’s implied that he might be a lady’s man but ya know, we only see that one time. He really has a thing for Alice, enough to the point where he really tries to do right by her in other instances. I liked this guy, he’s super cute and sweet, and he had great chemistry with Reese Witherspoon.
  • Jon Rudnitsky as George Appleton. He is the screenwriter of their film. He has a talent and he bonds with Isabel over writing. He also is amazed to learn that one of his favorite filmmakers is Alice’s father, so he bonds with her over that. George also is worried about taking future jobs, he wants to, but he doesn’t want Harry to think it’ll effect their own film. George is nice too, he apparently is in love with Alice, but I didn’t see that. I’ve never seen Jon Rudnitsky in anything but he’s a likable guy.
  • Nat Wolff as Teddy Dorsey. He is the youngest, Harry’s younger brother and he’s the lead actor in their film. An aspiring actor. Teddy really connects with the family. I think it’s implied that maybe he and Harry didn’t have a great connection with their parents, so he really takes to Alice’s, especially Rosie, the youngest daughter. When Austen comes into the picture, he’s really upset because he thinks he’s upsetting the balance in the family they’ve created. I really like Nat Wolff as an actor, and he’s good in this role. I hope to see more from him.
It’s Cute. It’s a really cute and harmless movie. I don’t think it’s terrible or anything, but it just a cute rom-com where we see people navigate through life, and whatever other obstacles might arise. I still would have preferred to see the movie through the guys’ point of views, they were more interesting but still a cute movie.
It has Heart. It does have a nice little heart going on in it. The relationship between Alice and her daughters, or the ones the guys create with Alice and her daughters, even Alice’s mom is nice. So, while the movie is just cute, I think it has a lot of heart as well.
Looks Good. The film had a really nice, upbeat and colorful look to it. The movie is set in LA which allows for some bright set pieces, a lot of colors and the house the film is set, was a beautiful house.
Cons:
The Story. I mean it doesn’t really have one. There are things happening, but I don’t think there is a main through line for the film. Yeah. Alice is going through things but to fairly honest, it doesn’t seem like the main point of the film. I actually would have rather followed the group of young guys. Alice could have just been a plot point in one of their story instead of being the main character.
No Conflict.It tries to create conflict, but it could have just been a cute little rom-com without trying to be super dramatic about Harry not showing up for Alice’s dinner party, which is why she gets mad at him. Plus, the whole thing with the Michael Sheen’s character. Who cares lol. Then you have the whole thing where George also likes Alice, but people keep saying that and I never really got that, maybe a little crush or something since she’s the daughter of a filmmaker he admired, but otherwise, whatever lol. They just kept trying to create problems where they didn’t need to be any.
Overall, Home Again is a cute romantic comedy. Don’t expect a ton out of it because it’s not going to surprise you or anything but it’s sweet. The actors do great in their roles, their characters are all likable, and the movie is pretty harmless. I do think the story is really weak and I think the movie would have benefitted from following Harry, George and Teddy instead of Alice, but it works fine here too. Also, there isn’t any conflict even though they try to create some. It’s fine.
Rating: 2.90 out of 5 stars.
Have you seen Home Again?What were your thoughts on it? Was it Bland? Was it cute? Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks for reading!
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The Incredibles 2 (2018) Movie Review

~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

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Summary: Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) is left to care for the kids while Helen (Elastigirl) is out saving the world.
FINALLY IT IS HERE! WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOVIE FOREVER! I didn’t ask for Finding Dory and it was fine. NO ONE WANTED MORE CARS MOVIES! Cars 2 is terrible and Cars 3 was cute. BUT FINALLY!! I love the first movie, it’s my favorite Pixar film and I love it to pieces. Finally. I do have to say I wanted them to age up the characters 14 years to match those of us who were kids when it came out, but I’m okay with what they gave us because it was great!
Pros:
Cast and Characters. We have a lot of characters in this film, we meet a lot of new supers and there are of course returning characters, but I’m not really going to get into all of them because ya know, that’s a lot lol. But I think all of the new supers were really cool and had awesome powers, that were put to good use in the film.
  • Craig T. Nelson as Bob Parr / Mr. Incredible. He possesses super strength and limited invulnerability. He’s been wanting to be super again for so long, that when the movie starts, and they go up against the Underminer, he expects a better reception than what they received from governmental people. But when they get to chance to prove them wrong, he’s excited to get back out there, but he feels slighted when they choose Helen instead of him, but he wants to prove that he can also be a stay at home dad. Bob really does try, he does a good job for a while, but it’s easy to see that he needs something else to be doing too, at least in his mind. He really tries though, he reads through Dash’s math book, he tries to help Violet out, and he of course discovers Jack-Jack’s powers and takes the initiative to do something about it. He just has to slow down every now and then. Craig T. Nelson has some great moments where he can just be all over the place and controlled. His voice is great for Bob.
  • Holly Hunter as Helen Parr / Elastigirl. Let’s be real, Helen is the MVP, she was my favorite in the first (alongside of Dash) but she is so freaking cool. The way she uses her powers is just so unique and done in ways I haven’t seen other heroes with this power do. She has the ability to stretch her body into many shapes and forms and she does just that. In the first movie, we got a taste of what she can do, but they really go to town with her, she creates less of a mess than Mr. Incredible and is more tactical about how she solves problems, which serves her well in the film. She is also still a mother and have been a stay at home mom for a long time that this new job of hers, is different and she’s worried, however, she also is having so much fun. I love Helen because she is so protective of her family, but she is still a superhero, no matter how long it’s been since it’s been illegal, and she still kicks butt. Holly Hunter’s voice is perfect and that is all.
  • Sarah Vowell as Violet Parr. She is the oldest and the only girl, her powers are to become invisible and project force field. In this movie, she is definitely being a teenage daughter, who is dealing with her feelings about boys, and about who she is, and she spends a lot of the movie questioning a lot of things that’s happening or being decided. All of that is understandable considering she is what 14 maybe? Her powers allow for a lot of cool moments, but also some really funny visual gags, like the one where she goes into the kitchen to get ice cream (lol). However, Violet is the oldest, so she does step up quite a bit. Sarah Vowell’s voice is still great for the character, it could be really annoying but it’s not.
  • Huck Milner as Dashiell “Dash” Parr. Who doesn’t love Dash?? Along with his mother he is my favorite. He is a bit of a troublemaker, the oldest son and has superhuman speed. He is outgoing, he is always willing to run head first into anything. Dash hates being left out and he wants to always be involved. He always has funny jokes to say. His powers are also really cool.
  • Eli Fucile as Jack-Jack Parr. I have always loved Jack-Jack, but he really owns a lot of this movie. A lot of the humor comes from him because of his reactions to things and his powers. Even though he’s a baby, he obviously knows what’s going on because when Dash said, “We want to fight bad guys”, Jack-Jack repeated but in baby talk, plus the whole time he was in Edna’s house. I mean, this kid is just gold. He has an assortment of powers, and we get to experience them all. Whether or not he’ll keep all of them, I doubt it, they’re all used hilariously.
  • Samuel L. Jackson as Lucius Best / Frozone. Similar to the first one, he’s not in it that much, but we definitely get to see him use his powers way more in this one. He is Bob’s best friend and he can create ice from humidity and he help out in the beginning with the Underminer, but when the police come, he ducks out because he knows it’s still illegal. He encourages Helena and Bob to join him at the meeting with Deavor, but we don’t see him for a while after that until Violet calls him to help Bob out and then of course during the climax of the film he’s more present. I think Frozone is super cool, I wonder what all he can do with his powers, but the fact that he’s always willing to come when the Parrs need him speaks a lot to him friendship with them. Plus, Samuel L. Jackson is his voice and he’s always cool.
  • Bob Odenkirk as Winston Deavor. He is a superhero fan who leads a telecommunications company with his sister Evelyn and wants to bring back the “supers” by revamping the public’s perception of them. He is very earnest, and he wears AWESOME suits. He has a lot of ideas and he just wants supers to have their days again, because he believes in what his father believes in, which was that supers were necessary. He’s a nice guy, and he truly believes in the mission. I don’t really know the actor, but his voice has this innocence and hopeful tone to it which works for the character.
  • Catherine Keener as Evelyn Deavor. She is Winston’s sister and a technological genius who has never encountered a problem she could not solve. Evelyn is smart, and Helen sees a bit of coolness in her since she builds all of the technology for the company and for all of Helen’s new jobs. She is always cool, calm and collected and I think her, and Helen would become great friends. Catherine Keener’s voice is also always great, it’s soothing.
  • Brad Bird as Edna Mode. She a fashion designer to the “supers” and a close friend of the Parrs. She’s not in the movie as much as she’s in the first one, I don’t think, but she’s still always great. ALWAYS.
The Story. The story is very smart, this movie is animated but it has a lot of adult themes, and there is a lot of moments of exposition but the not the wasteful kind. Just as there are adventure and action moments, there are quiet moments that are just characters talking. I think that’s a strong aspect, especially when you have a movie set in the 60s or 70s, with a family and dealing with the law. There is talk about the law, and it being unfair and just but having to follow it. How to run a family, how to deal with perception, and ignorance… there is a lot of great stuff in there that will help stimulate the mind and that’s very relevant to what’s going on today. Plus, it can get really tense when it comes down to the villain and what their goal is. It makes sense, which makes it so good.
Family Dynamic. The Parr family feels like a family. The movie is set in the 60s-70s, not really sure the exact time, but considering the time period and how everyone is worried about how society will react to certain things, such as them being supers. Helen is worried about her family, Bob wants to basically relive his glory days and be a super again. The kids just want to be part of the team and Jack-Jack is growing up with powers. I love how they interact with each other, the love and trust that Helen and Bob share (even the worry about Bob being able to handle the kids on his own, or Helen being able to hero on her own). Also, the sibling relationship between Dash and Violet, is believable and how they fight with each other but then lean on each other whenever they need to. The Parr family is a great family!
The Villain. Without going too much into it, the villain is really cool. Also, kind of justified. I thought it was a little predictable which I will mention later on, but otherwise, I really liked them as a character and how intelligent they were. It was kind of scary lol.
Action and Adventure. Obviously since it’s a continuation from the first movie, we see them tackle the Underminer which is a very cool action piece and as the movie continues, the missions we see Elastigirl go on, which allows for her to use her powers in ways we haven’t seen yet, just makes it even more cool. The movie definitely takes the action and adventure to the next level from the first film, the stakes are a little higher, and there are more supers involved so we see more. It’s fun!
Cons:
Violet and Dash’s Inclusion/Potential. I think my biggest gripe with the movie is that Dash and Violet doesn’t really get the chance to do much. Particularly for Violet, she spends a lot of the movie worrying about things with Tony, and how she feels about being a superhero and of course being suspicious of her parents lol, but we don’t really get to see her use her powers the way she was able to in the first film. She has a really cool part in the beginning with the Underminer, and then a pretty cool fight with another super but that’s kind of it. As for Dash, during the climax he either spends it holding the baby, or he’s waiting to be told to press a button. I know that in the first film, there’s more going on, kind of, but we got to see him run on water, and what not, but we see him really fight one person and that’s it. I was disappointed that he didn’t get to do more because he loves it so much. It was kind of lame. It was definitely something I was looking forward to seeing but the movie didn’t deliver it for me.
Predictable Villain. So, I don’t think they were a bad villain, I thought they were pretty awesome. I was just a little disappointed that I was able to figure it out so quickly. But that’s a really small gripe.
Overall, I very much enjoyed The Incredibles 2, I don’t think it’s as good as the first one, I think the first one was all around a better movie but this one does up the ante in a lot of ways. All of the characters are likable and are cool in their own right. Elastigirl owns this movie, the way she uses her powers to accomplish things and just how cool she is. SHE IS SO COOL!!! I quite liked the story, of trying to bring supers back into the forefront and make them legal once more. Plus, the idea of using a superhero who doesn’t make a lot of mess and trouble, be the face of that opportunity, that’s really smart and I loved how much Helen loved doing it. The action and adventure were also handled really well, even with the slower parts, the movie never lags, it never slows down. It’s awesome. The family dynamic is also great. My only real problem with the movie is that Dash and Violet don’t really get the chance to be awesome like they were in the first movie. We don’t really see them use their powers or really be part of the story which is really sad since they’re both so cool. Otherwise, The Incredibles 2 is a great movie.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Have you seen The Incredibles 2 yet? What did you think about it? Let me know your thoughts below!
Thanks for reading and please be sure to like and follow this blog for more reviews!

 

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) Movie Review

~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

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Okay, so full disclosure, when they announced this, I was fine because they never said “remake”, I always assumed it was going to be a sequel regardless. The people who were upset, I was mostly like “chill, it’s a sequel, it’s probably harmless” and it was, and I had a lot of fun watching it. I’m late, but I very much enjoyed this movie. Onwards to the review!
Mild spoilers ahead, but I’m sure you’ve seen the movie already.
Summary: Four teenagers are sucked into a magical video game, and the only way they can escape is to work together to finish the game.
Pros:
Cast and Characters. Okay, we have our young versions which are the kids who get sucked into the story. I’m going to include them with their avatars as it just seems right.
  • Dwayne Johnson as Dr. Smolder Bravestone. He is the leader of the team, kind of like Indiana Jones. He’s an archaeologist and explorer who is just an epic brave, person. Being that he is being controlled by a 16-year- old nerdy and neurotic kid, he maintains those personality traits as well. We’re so used to seeing Dwayne Johnson play macho characters who are so sure about themselves, but in this, he’s saving the world, but he’s freaked out, or worried about how he’s going to do it. It’s great and great comedy. To be honest, we learn things about the character and the cool things he can do, his strengths and what not, but he’s an avatar so it really just comes down to the performance which is great because he’s so funny. The way he allows his voice to crack when he’s scared, it’s some great stuff.
    • Alex Wolff as Spencer Gilpin. He is a nerdy gamer at Brantford High School. He is afraid of EVERYTHING. His mother does not help with that either. He has anxiety and being Dr. Bravestone helps him overcome those problems. From what we see of Alex Wolff, he’s fine in the role he has to play before and after the game, though I do think it’s clear at the end, that he’s bit more confident and probably in ways, still the leader of the new group of friends.
  • Jack Black as Sheldon “Shelly” Oberon. He is a cartographer, cryptographer, archaeologist, and paleontologist, making him probably the smartest in the group. But what’s great, is that Bethany is the gamer, so Jack Black playing a 16-year-old girl made for great comedy and Jack Black was great at doing it. Almost a little too great but I expect nothing less lol. His dialogue is funny but the way he delivers the lines, perfection.
    • Madison Iseman as Bethany Walker. She is a pretty, popular, self-centered teenage girl at Brantford High School. There’s not much more to say than that lol. She isn’t really mean or anything, but she’s just into herself and doesn’t really realize that there are other people around her as well.
  • Kevin Hart as Franklin “Mouse” Finbar. He is a zoologist and weapons specialist, and ultimately Bravestone’s sidekick hehe. Obviously, Fridge isn’t happy that he is a small, petit avatar, or that he has a lot of weaknesses and not a lot of strengths, so throughout the movie, we see him being a bit antagonistic. But when push comes, he does what he needs to do, like with the snake and the plan at the climax of the film. Kevin Hart is great in this film. Sometimes I find him small, very yelly and not funny but I think this was a great part for him. He got to have some great physical comedic moments, as well as great lines. I wonder how much he ad-libbed but his chemistry with Dwayne Johnson, and they’re the ones with the most “connection” before the game, is great.
    • Ser’Darius Blain as Anthony “Fridge” Johnson. He is a Brantford High School football jock, who cares way more about football and doing other things than his grades. He and Spencer were friends back in the day, but as they got older, they went in different directions and he’s kind of a jerk to Spencer. He gets put into detention because he had Spencer write a paper for him to pass a class to stay on the team. Which is obvious he doesn’t pay attention because he thought it said “Moose”, but the name is indeed “Mouse” lol.
  • Karen Gillan as Ruby Roundhouse. She is like Lara Croft, a martial artist, and dance fighter. I think it’s pretty great because Martha isn’t anything like how Ruby might be in a game like this, but Karen Gillan gets to really play up that awkwardness. It’s obvious that she can do some cool physical stuff, with how she runs or how she can randomly do something cool, but Martha isn’t like that, so she keeps trying to cover up her exposed skin because, I mean why would she be wearing that kind of outfit in the jungle lol. I knew Karen Gillan was funny because I liked that short lived show Selfie she was in, and she’s pretty funny sometimes as Nebula, and she was funny here as well. I have to say, watching her kick butt, was AWESOME, especially her dance fighting.
    • Morgan Turner as Martha Kaply. She is a shy and cynical intellectual at Brantford High School who believes that physical education is needless and dislikes popular peers like Bethany and Fridge. Martha is a loner and she doesn’t really want to play at first, but after encouragement from the others gets into it. She definitely becomes more confident as she plays the game, and by time we get to the end, there is a little change in her.
  • Nick Jonas as Jefferson “Seaplane” McDonough. He is a young aircraft pilot, who has been playable in the game for 20 years. His weakness is mosquitos, which is pretty funny considering he’s in a jungle. He’s been on his own without his team, so he’s pretty much failed at getting past a certain point, but thanks to the others arrival, they are finally able to move forward in the game. I’ve always liked Nick Jonas and I think he was great in his role. This young, kind of earnest pilot, but who is also playing a teenage gamer from the 90s, with his lingo and swagger, was cute.
    • Mason Guccione as Alex Vreeke. We meet him at the beginning of the film, after his father brings him the Jumanji board game. He is turned off by it but the game turns itself into a game cartridge which entices him to play. He gets trapped in the game for 20 years and thinks he’s been in the game for a few months. It’s kind of sad when he finds that it’s been a way longer time.
    • Colin Hanks plays the adult Alex when he appears 20 years later.
The Action. Set in the jungle and it’s a video game, there’s a lot of action going on. All of the fight scenes are choreographed well. The part in the bazaar, where Bravestone fights the bad guys, he’s basically calling out all of his moves, just like Spencer did at the beginning while playing a video game, but that didn’t make it any less cool to see if happen. Karen Gillan’s fight scene at the Transportation hanger was already choreographed really well, at first, she’s dancing with the guys, as one of her specialties is “dance fighting” but when the actual fighting happens, I was like “Yasss kick butt!!”
A Fun Adventure. If anything, the movie is just a fun adventure. I think all of the characters are likable and you want to see them succeed in the game, but you probably also want to see them lose lives as well, just to see what outrageous ways they can die in the game. But it’s just fun. The hippo scene, the snake scene, helicopter scene and the entire climax is a lot of fun. This movie knows exactly what it is and it just enjoys itself doing just that, being a fun, silly, action/adventure movie.
Core Story. While I don’t think the movie is trying to be that serious, the core message is teamwork and to basically get over yourself lol. Everyone basically starts off with some kind of chip on their shoulder, or something they’re dealing with, no matter how self-absorbed it might be (Bethany lol) but they have to learn to work together. Poor Alex has been stuck for 20 years because he didn’t have a team, and even though he doesn’t know them, and they don’t know him, they have to trust each other. That’s a pretty good for them to learn while playing this game. It’s pretty fundamental.
Really funny. I laughed quite a bit through the movie. Everyone has their moments, I don’t think anyone overdoes anything, no one is annoying, no one is trying to hard, it works for their characters and they all work well together and their comedic timing works. The fact that Dwayne Johnson is playing a 16-year-old, awkward teenager in a giant man’s body, or that Kevin Hart is playing a 6’1 athlete who is upset that he is “missing the top two feet of his body”, or Jack Black who is great at playing a self-absorbed teenage girl, and Karen Gillan playing a socially awkward girl who now is wearing showy clothes and is a badass lol. It all just works.
Cons:
The Villains. There’s this whole story with Bobby Canavale’s character being a friend of Dr. Bravestone and he turned of them, or something, but let’s be real, who cares? He’s just a game antagonist and I just want to watch the team make it through the jungle with their shenanigans. I mean, yeah, he can control the animals because of something he does with the green jewel, but I mean, I just think he didn’t really have to be there. The jewel could have just been missing in general.
CGI Issues. It wasn’t all bad, but it was mostly like the elephants and jaguars that looked pretty bad. Plus, it looked really dark in the climax, I don’t know if it was just my tv or not, I don’t know, but it was dark, and the jaguars didn’t look good running through the forest and I was like just meh.
Overall, I quite liked Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, there is a lot about it to enjoy and to like. I didn’t expect a lot, but I didn’t think it was going to be terrible or anything, I was actually pleasantly surprised by the movie and liked it the entire way through. All of the characters are likable, all of the actors do a great job, they are clearly having fun and it shows. Their comedic timing and chemistry with each other worked really well on screen. The action was well choreographed, and the adventure was fun to watch, and I’d actually play this game if it was a real game (I don’t want to be an avatar though, like in real life lol). I think the villains were pretty useless and sometimes the CGI wasn’t very good or at least consistent with other parts of the movie, but overall, I had fun. Great fun!
Rating: 3.8 out of 5 stars. 
Have you seen Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle? What did you think of it? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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Tyler Johnson Was Here (2018) Book Review

~ Alyxwrites ~ 4 Comments

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Summary: When Marvin Johnson’s twin, Tyler, goes to a party, Marvin decides to tag along to keep an eye on his brother. But what starts as harmless fun turns into a shooting, followed by a police raid.
The next day, Tyler has gone missing, and it’s up to Marvin to find him. But when Tyler is found dead, a video leaked online tells an even more chilling story: Tyler has been shot and killed by a police officer. Terrified as his mother unravels and mourning a brother who is now a hashtag, Marvin must learn what justice and freedom really mean.
Pros:
Colorful Characters. We meet a lot of characters in this story. They all stand out on their own I think, with their own usefulness, nicknames and what they mean in Marvin’s, and by extension, Tyler’s life.
  • Marvin Johnson. He is our narrator and he’s just a regular teenager in Alabama. He’s considered an “oatmeal creme pie” because he’s black but “acts white”, whatever that means lol, along with his two best friends. He’s smart, but unlike his brother, he’s the less popular one and maybe more awkward. Marvin wants to go to MIT, he knows that life is challenging due to the color of his skin and he tries to make sure he’s never in the position where his life is threatened, sometimes it just happens. When they have an encounter with an officer in the beginning, he watches his twin become increasingly distant and he worries. He often thinks he should do or say more than what he does, so when Tyler dies, he feels a tremendous guilt that he should have done something to help Tyler. As the book continues, we learn more about his anger, his extreme pain as he feels like his life has been taken away from him because his brother was taken away from him. Marvin is likable, and you really feel for him, but you also root for him to find peace. The fact that the book is told in his point of view, really allows for an up-close and personal look.
  • Tyler Johnson. Yes, he does die, but in the beginning of the book, we get to meet him and love him, and feel conflicted the same way Marvin does. Tyler and Marvin are close, but after an encounter with an officer in the beginning, Tyler becomes distant and we learn that he gets involved with a group of kids who he really shouldn’t. He says that it’s because he wants to help their mother out more around the house, but I think, that he was doing it because he wanted to feel safe or feel that he could protect himself if the time came down to it with another encounter. We don’t really know for sure, but I feel like, from what we’re told about him, that I really do like this kid and I wished he could have lived to live out his life.
  • Mama Johnson. You really feel for their mother. I believe they live in Alabama so she’s constantly worried that something will happen to her two black sons. When Tyler first “goes missing” she believes Marvin’s lie that he was at a friend’s house, and she’s hopeful, especially with the nonsense that happened at the party that everyone heard about. She breaks when Tyler’s body is discovered, and you really hope that she doesn’t remain broken throughout because Marvin needs her as much as she needs him. It’s sad watching her through Marvin’s eyes and how he feels like he can’t do anything for her, but she remains a strong presence for him, especially at the end.
  • Ivy & G-Mo. I put them together, but they are Marvin’s best friends and they complete the “Oatmeal Creme Pie Group”. They are ride or die friends, no matter how much Marvin might push them away in the story, they understand which I liked. They didn’t turn on him in his time of need which showed the strength of their friendship. Anytime Marvin called them and needed them, they answered and came. It was really sweet. Plus, whenever all three of them together, know there might be some corniness going on.
  • Faith. She starts out at this mysterious girl Marvin sees at the party. I at first thought, she was just going to serve a purpose and never show up again, but she becomes a large part of Marvin’s life. She starts out affiliated with Johntae (the gang member Tyler started hanging around) and Marvin goes to her for help, she at first refuses, but his persistency causes her to get more involved. She becomes another lifeline for Marvin and she’s really sweet to him. I wouldn’t have minded if she wasn’t in the story, but I saw the purpose she served, she was someone who entered his life because of the tragedy and remained.
The Story. The idea of a teenaged black boy being killed by a police officer is unfortunately nothing new, especially now. This book is very relevant considering its nature and I think that’s what makes it so powerful and emotional. It’s told from Marvin’s point of view, and we get to see him experience atrocities such as having guns pointed at him, dealing with his wrongfully incarcerated father, his brother who he feels pulling away from, not to mention his brother missing for a large chunk of the book, and worrying about where his life will head next. I think all of this is something that most people, especially young black people will experience and relate to. The principal in the school was absolutely ridiculous and I think people experience that in real life. I just think the story, at its core will hit very close to home.
Powerful Message. The book talks a lot about grief, loss, police brutality, blackness, among other things. I don’t think it rushes past anything, I think the grief is handled as realistically as possible. Marvin is in pain from losing his brother, but he feels a strong guilt as well that he should have done something. Justice, hatred and racism is a large part of the story as well, and Marvin gets to experience it first-hand. Just be prepared to go through a lot during this book, but it’s not preachy. It doesn’t feel heavy handed.
Realistic/Emotional. I teared up in quite a few places while reading. I don’t mean to sound like a broken record in the nature of the book, but I think it’s imperative to know that this isn’t an easy book to read. I mean, what it’s talking about should be something that’s acknowledged and talked about in society period, and Marvin often shares his feelings, I mean it’s in his point of view, but he doesn’t shy away from his anger, confusion or frustration. Reading about him watching his mother fall apart, or reading Marvin trying to make sense of his feelings, or his reaction when he finally sees the video of Tyler’s final moments. It’s pretty heartbreaking.
The Ending. So, I’m going to kind of mention this later, but the actual ending of the book was beautiful. I know what it’s like to have to spread ashes of a family member, it’s kind of weird experience, so I can relate to Marvin in that way. However, while there are still a few things that need to be tidied up, we get a sense of “moving on” for everyone, even Tyler.
The Cover. I mean just look at it. It’s beautiful. I love the flowers and the softness of the black boy. I just like that it’s not aggressive or sensual or any of the typical covers with black teens on the cover. I like that a lot of these young adult covers with black characters are going this route. It shows that our young people can be soft too.
Cons:
Starts off Slow. Because you pretty much know that Tyler dies at some point thanks to the description, you’re waiting for that moment while reading the book. It’s like you’re tense for most of the story, which is a good thing in ways, but it’s also a bad thing, because it takes a while to really gain some traction. I didn’t really get sucked into the story until a bit later, the first few chapters were for setting up, but it did really slowly.
Drawn Out. There are a lot of moments in the book, mostly towards the end, where it felt like it should have concluded many times. There was a part where it was damn near a perfect ending and I don’t think I would have been upset with that being the ending. The actual ending is great, don’t get me wrong, but I got the sense that Jay Coles tried to wrap everything up as best he could, but he could have done it many times.
Overall, I liked Tyler Johnson Was Here, the cover is beautiful, and I wanted to read it from the moment I saw it. I love the cover with the flowers and the soft, handsome black boy on the cover. I like all of the main characters, we definitely get some hated characters like the principal, and Johntae, and of course the police officer, but mostly all of the characters are likable. Especially Marvin and his friends. Marvin is our narrator and he tells the story with an emotional connection that keeps you invested once the story really picks up. It’s a realistic and emotional story that hits close to home with the tragedy of a black boy being murdered by a police officer, not to mention the many encounters of police brutality. I think the dialogue is pretty witty and sounds like black southern teenagers haha, I never felt like they were just characters in a book because some teens talk like that in real life. My only negatives are that the book takes a while to pick up, it starts off with a bang but then it slows down for a while. It kind of does that throughout as it feels like it’s being drawn out, there were many moments where the book should have ended, but it kept going. Don’t get me wrong, the ending was great but there were a lot of moments where it could have ended well. WITH THAT SAID, this is a great read and a great experience. Check it Out.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
What I’m Reading Next:
Scott Pilgrim– Bryan Lee O’Malley (but I’m not going to review these)

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The Last Black Unicorn– Tiffany Haddish (might review this, dunno)

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