Movie Review

Movie Review: The Hate U Give (2018)

~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

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Summary: Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressure from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what’s right.
Pros:
Cast and Characters. 
  • Amandla Stenberg as Starr Carter. 16-year-old Starr is stuck between two worlds. The world of her neighborhood, Garden Heights and Williamson, her prep school. She understands what it means to code switch depending on the people she’s around. One night she attends a party with her best friend, and she meets up with Khalil, a boy she knew from her childhood. They reconnect and when the party turns sour, she and Khalil escape and have moments in the car. Unfortunately, she watches as Khalil is murdered before her very eyes by a cop. She is stricken by this and has to continue through her life with something so horrific in her memory, in her bones and she struggles with the pain that she knows what happened. However, she’s afraid to say anything  because she’s worried what that might do to her family. Also, King of the King Lords pretty much threatens her about dry snitching and what not. But Starr must find her voice in order for Khalil to find justice and to find peace for herself. It’s a powerful story to see told by a friend and a witness. I was a little worried about Amandla at first, I think she’s a good actress but I haven’t seen her play a part like this but she pleasantly surprised me. She does make these weird faces lol, which throughout the movie I was like “lol girl stop” but I know she can’t help it because it’s just her face lol. I thought she did very well with all the emotional bits. Definitely a movie to make her mark as more than just a YA adaptation actress.
Supporting Characters.I mean, everyone on this list are people we see quite often in the movie but I had to give Amandla her due above and then hit everyone else after. Everyone does very well in the film.
  • Regina Hall as Lisa Carter.A friend of mine was curious to see how she would do playing a role like this. I understand her concern but I had a little more faith in Regina Hall and I thought for what the role asked of her, she did very well. She was firm when she needed to be and she has some of the best facial expressions, very funny. I also thought she had great chemistry with Russell Hornsby. I do think her role got a little downplayed in the movie compared to the book but from what she was given, I thought she did well and was memorable as the mom. Some of the best moments was the moment at the diner and at the end when they’re all at Carter’s groceries.
  • Russell Hornsby as Maverick Carter. Outside of Starr, he really shines. I think I’ve only seen him in Fences, but I loved him here. He’s not exactly what I thought Big Mav would look like but he really played him the way I would want him to be played. The movie starts out with him telling his kids how to conduct themselves when faced with police and you can tell that he might have just gotten out of prison and he’s trying to make sure his kids understand. He did this face where he could kind of snarl whenever he talked and I liked that because it’s something I would imagine a man whose been through what he’s been through would do. I loved the way he talked to his kids, he may come off a little hard but it’s clear he loves them. He’s always on their side. He was also really funny, especially the prom scene. Again, with the diner scene where everyone did such a great job, but he did really good here as well since it was directly happening to him.
  • KJ Apa as Chris. First things first, when he first showed up, that dark hair was not doing him any favors. I can’t remember if Chris had dark hair in the books or not but KJ Apa was way to pale that it was kind of shocking. It grew on me as the movie progressed. Anyways, I liked Chris a lot. I thought he was cute and sweet and I understood his confusion throughout the movie. It’s hard to be in an interracial relationship when things are going on because it’s hard to know who to trust with your feelings and whether or not they’ll understand. That’s where Chris stood with Starr after the event. He was in the dog house in the beginning because of what he did before the movie, but throughout the movie he was in a state of confusion because he didn’t know what was going on. I think Chris is a good kid, I do wish we got to see a little more of him and that he was included in more things mostly at the end, I think it would have been nice to have that but I also get why he wasn’t there. I like KJ Apa, he’s likable (though not as Archie Andrews lol) and I liked the chemistry he had with Amandla and his introduction is like the best because he’s so cute! KJ just has this All-American-Boy thing about him where he’s just so earnest, he plays that really well.
  • Algee Smith as Khalil Harris. Ahhh Kahlil. I think Algee Smith is so cute. I haven’t seen him in anything else (No I have not seen that New Edition movie though I might watch it now because of him), but he has this light about him. I don’t know if it’s because of who he was playing but as soon as he walked into the room and Starr looked at him, I was like “he’s my favorite” and he’s just so sweet and likable that it sucks that he was murdered. When he and Starr meet up, they catch up and what I love about him is that when the fight breaks out, he didn’t leave her, he made sure she was with him so he could make sure she got home safely. While they were in the car, they reminisced and he thought of what could be and he says this line that made me go “Dang, where’s mine!?” *sighs* He’s super likable and I wish Justice for Khalil. Algee Harris is great, he’s charismatic, and I hope to see more of him. I did fan cast as one of my characters from one of my books lol, I see big things!
  • Lamar Johnson as Seven Carter. Sadly, I don’t think we got to see as much of Seven as I would have liked. However, I really liked him. He’s the product of a night between Maverick and Iesha (King’s wife? Girlfriend?). He clearly spends a lot of time with the Carters as he goes to school with both Starr and Sekani. He is very protective of both of them and he loves the Carters so much that when Iesha and King came to the funeral, he didn’t want to be with them but stay with the Carters. I mean, it makes sense as King definitely doesn’t seem to like him, though we never really got to see an interaction between King and Seven. There is a story line that gets passed to him where in the book it happens to a character they removed from the movie (I talk more about this at the end of this review), which was fine with me. It allowed the moment to be way more personal for everyone involved and I think it flowed seamlessly with the events before and after. It just made more sense that way. I also will keep an eye out for Lamar Johnson though because whenever he was one screen, my eye did go to him.
  • Issa Rae as April Ofrah. What can I say about Issa Rae, hahaha that rhymes. But she doesn’t have a HUGE role but the role she plays is perfect for her. Issa Rae is likable no matter what she does. She plays this woman who stands up for justice and she encourages Starr to find her voice for Khalil. She’s great. Boom.
  • Sabrina Carpenter as Hailey.There are two of Starr’s best friends from Williamson but Hailey gets a little more screen time in that she is the person closest to Starr at Williamson who doesn’t understand. It’s hard when you’re trying to be two people and suddenly your worlds collide and people don’t get it. Hailey doesn’t get it. Sabrina Carpenter is really likable, I mean I still wanted to kind of hit her but her character isn’t supposed to be likable and I just felt like she was really ignorant.
  • Common as Uncle Carlos. So, I think this was perfect casting once I found out about it and I think Uncle Carlos is a good and interesting character. He’s a cop which makes him on both sides of the situation and puts him in an interesting situation. He’s there when Starr calls him and I’ll talk about him more. I think Common is fine in the role, mostly with what they gave him.
  • Anthony Mackie as King. I think Anthony Mackie is a fantastic actor and I’ve seen him play villain roles before. I was a little worried though because physically he doesn’t look like how I would picture King who was described as a big man and Mackie looks younger than Maverick especially with them seemingly growing up together and Big Mav being his right-hand man. We don’t see him a ton but when we do, he’s in the background mean mugging, or threatening people. Anthony Mackie is good in roles like this though so I think he’s great and he’s quite intimidating lol.
  • TJ Wright as Sekani Carter. I don’t have much to say about him but he’s really cute and they did a little something different with him at the end that I didn’t expect. It was actually a great moment and it really worked for what the message of the movie was. This kid was great. Kind of reminded me of the little boy fromBlackish, he really embodied the meaning of his name.
The Family. It’s very important that the Carter family feel like a real family and be strong. There is a lot of history with what happened with Maverick and even the stuff between him and Uncle Carlos. I loved that the movie started out with Maverick talking with a young Seven and Starr about how to conduct themselves in case they’re pulled over by the police. It’s a very important conversation that all black families should have and it set the tone from the beginning. It set the tone of the movie and the tone of the family. Throughout the movie, we see a beautiful love with Lisa and Maverick. A cute sibling relationship between Seven, Starr and Sekani and a great relationship with the parents and their kids. It’s important to note that Lisa is not Seven’s mother but she treated him like her own son. I loved that the movie made sure we saw they were a family.
Relevant Story. No matter what you think of the movie overall, the story is relevant to what is going on today. Khalil was unarmed. Yes, he reached into the car and grabbed his hairbrush but why does no one ever shoot to disarm or shoot a taser? Why is it always shoot to kill? Sure, you’re in fear of your life but both of them were harmless, they didn’t even look like they were trouble other than the fact they’re black. We see Starr struggle throughout the movie with speaking up, we even learned that what happened with her other best friend as a kid, and how she didn’t speak up then. A lot of people go through that, no knowing whether or not they should “snitch” or speak up when they witness something because they’re afraid. Starr deals with grief and then she sees what happens with her family and Khalil’s family and she has to make the choices whether or not to live for Khalil.
Khalil’s Death. Not a spoiler since you know it from the trailer and what not, but it doesn’t lessen the blow when it happens. Starr and Khalil are having a great moment in the car, they talk about THUG LIFE, music and childhood and it’s so cute. Algee and Amandla have great chemistry and it’s so cute to think of the future. Anyway, they drive off and get pulled over and Starr thinks of what she learned as a kid. Khalil is a bit more frustrated because he’s not sure what he did. Watching the scene unfold knowing what it leads up to is very tense and then when he gets shot, it felt like I got shot three times because at this point, you like Khalil. We don’t get to know him that much since it’s basically 30 minutes into the movie but he’s likable and you like him. Starr is hysterical and the cop puts her in handcuffs and she’s trying to comfort him… it’s just so much. First scene of the tears and I still can’t forget it. I couldn’t forget it in the book either.
All the Feels. I think I cried like five times in the movie. I don’t expect everyone to cry while watching it but if you don’t feel anything, or don’t care about anything you see then, one, you’re made of stone and two why are you even watching this movie? lol being that this kind of thing happens in real life, it’s hard to not picture the people you know and love in these positions. When all of the death was happening a couple of years ago, it seemed like it happened every day, I had a moment where I just hugged my youngest brother because he’s tall, he’s black and I couldn’t bear the idea of losing him like that. So, I get it. It doesn’t happen constantly, there’s a lot of laughs in the movie too, but it’s very realistic.
Would you Shoot? Starr and Uncle Carlos have a moment in his kitchen after the family gets shot at in their house. She’s talking to him about it and he tells her what it’s like to be  a cop on the force and it’s intense. I totally get it. It was a great scene and you can tell that he really wanted her to understand just what all of that meant, but at the same time, you can tell from her that she expected something different from her uncle being a black man on the police force. What he was saying is probably true for most cops, I don’t know, I’m not a cop, but he’s right, it is the world we live in and it sucks. Great moment from both Amandla and Common.
Get out the car! There’s an entire scene that happens from this diner all the way to the Carter’s house. Big Mav and King have a moment and the police show up and well you can guess what happened. So, everyone has high emotions because of what happened and Starr says something that triggers Maverick and he makes all of the kids stand out on the lawn and recite a part from the Black Panther’s Seven Point program. He then tells them what their names mean and it was such a powerful scene. It quickly became a favorite in the movie.
Starr and Hailey. There’s a scene particularly towards the end where Starr and Hailey get into it. I won’t spoil it but Hailey basically makes a comment about the hairbrush and Starr snatches the one that’s in Hailey’s book bag pocket and makes a point. It was a great scene. In the book they have a physical fight but I actually think I liked this better just because it makes an important point. Amandla did great in that scene.
Cons:
Uncle Carlos. He’s not a bad character nor is Common a bad actor (he’s inconsistent but he’s fine), I just think they didn’t end his character on a good note. He’s supposed to represent the other half. He’s a cop which could make it hard for Starr to completely want to give up on all cops because of her uncle. They had a great relationship in the book and I think in the movie it was kind of implied that he was a large part of her life while Maverick was in jail, but I don’t think they played it up enough. I mean he was really important and he should have been way more in the movie. While I liked the conversation, they in his kitchen, it showed what cops might go through when out in the field, I don’t think they ever gave him the chance to really show that he was on Starr’s side. I think that was an issue because he needed to be and should have been. I don’t want to compare to the book too much but in the book, he gets into a fight and put on paid leave… that should have happened because it shows both Starr and the audience that he was still on her side. Common was perfect casting for him, but they really missed the mark on what to do with his character. Plus, he and Maverick have beef… it would be well founded but they don’t give it time to marinate before it’s finished. Meh.
Seven and King. In the movie we learn that Seven is the product of Iesha and Maverick having a night together. Something happens towards the end of the movie with Seven and it kind of came out of nowhere. Outside of King making a comment to Kenya and Starr about Seven’s name (though you can’t really talk King…) they never have a moment to really show that King doesn’t like Seven or anything of that nature. I think there should have been a moment or a few where King may look at him funny, or they have an argument, or something that would have made the part at the end make sense and not just some extra drama.
Overall, I loved The Hate U Give.For one, I think it’s a great adaptation of a fantastic book and I was thrilled that it for the most part kept the essence of the book. As a film, I think it was handled really well. All of the characters serve their purpose and I think audiences can identify with Starr with what she went through. I can’t imagine everyone going through what she went through but Amandla Stenberg does a great job playing the part. There are times where her facial expressions look really funny but she manages to push through the funny faces and really deliver a performance I think is her best. She had me by the heart strings. I loved the family dynamic and that they felt like a real family and how they reacted to each other like a family would. The story is extremely relevant in the situation and I think it’ll hit close to him for a lot of people. There are a lot of GREAT scenes as well that I think are extremely memorable. On the flip side, I think Uncle Carlos received the short end of the deal in that his character should have been used more and been more of a lifeline for Starr in that he was a cop but someone she looked up too. I also think the relationship between Seven and King should have been used more because it comes to a head at the end and it’s random. BUT I loved the movie and I think it’s a must see!
Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars.
P.S. There’s a couple of spoilers down here.
Khalil’s hairbrush: In the book when Starr and Khalil get pulled over, he is told to get out of the car. In the book, he opens the door to check on Starr and then gets shot, he doesn’t even get the chance to ask Starr if she’s okay, or at least to finish the question. In the movie, I was worried because the trailers showed that he actually reached for his hairbrush when it was actually in the side of his door that the officer thought was a hairbrush. Khalil never reached into the car, he never pulled anything out the car. I was worried that would change the situation and the narrative. Either way, Khalil should not have been killed but I think with it obviously being a hairbrush, it actually takes away the element of confusion because the cop clearly saw the brush. I don’t know, it’s kind of…hard but either way I wanted to mention it.
DeVante:So, I mentioned in the book review that I thought the DeVante storyline I could take or leave. I liked it but it could have been cut out and I wouldn’t have missed it. I knew they would probably cut it out of the movie and they did. I totally get why too. All the stuff that happened to him was outlier and was there so Maverick could have a way to save someone since he couldn’t save Khalil but I think he had enough to do with his family. In the book, DeVante gets beat up by King. Seven (who is driving) takes Starr and Chris with him to go and get him. In the movie, Chris is driving and it’s Seven who gets beat up. I like that because it keeps the story personal. Sure, Chris doesn’t have the chance to get close to DeVante like in the book, but for the movie sake he didn’t need to. I liked that it was Seven because it was more personal for Starr and for Iesha who uses that moment to save her children. That’s way more powerful I think than her trying to save DeVante. That’s just me though.
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Movie Review: Show Dogs (2018)

~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

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Summary: Max, a macho, solitary Rottweiler police dog is ordered to go undercover as a primped show dog in a prestigious Dog Show, along with his human partner, to avert a disaster from happening.
Pros:
Voice Acting. I didn’t care about any of the characters but I think the voice actors had a great time in this movie. Ludacris plays Max, Jordan Sparks plays Daisy, RuPaul (who I instantly recognized and even said “Now sashay away! lol), Gabriel Iglesias as Sprinkles, Shaquille O’Neal as Karma, Stanley Tucci as Philippe and Alan Cumming as Dante. It was clear they all had a good time and the voice acting was just fine.
Animation. It’s a talking dog movie, there are a lot of those and while the animation for it wasn’t always good, there were times when it looked legit.
One Joke.I don’t even remember what it was and I’ve been sitting here trying to remember which part made me laugh out loud but maybe it wasn’t that funny since I don’t remember what it was. I have to give the movie props though since it was the only thing, I found funny. If I ever watch it again maybe I’ll find out the joke.
Cons:
The Characters. I didn’t care about anyone nor did I really like anyone. I mean, they’re all pretty harmless but they’re just cutouts of cliché people. The hardened cop (Max), the clumsy cop (Frank) and they don’t get along and of course have to get it together by the end and the love interests on both ends. Of course, all of the side characters that we normally see, like Phillipe who reminded me of Michael Caine’s character in Miss Congeniality.
Not Funny. It’s not funny. I think I chuckled maybe once or twice and only actually laughed once. Otherwise, all the other jokes didn’t land. Obviously, it’s a talking dog movie so a lot of the humor revolves around dog stuff, drinking out of toilets, garbage, that kind of stuff which isn’t very funny. Maybe if you’re a kid it’s funny but otherwise it’s not.
Animal Animation. Mostly all of it looks pretty bad, it’s not so much the mouth moving parts but the other stuff. Max does a “and scene” and he did the hand movements too and wow, looked so bad. Also, the little panda in the movie, while cute also looked terrible when it was doing facial expressions. Also, the pigeons… ugh.
Overall, Show Dogs is definitely for kids or at least kids who like talking animals because I’m sure they would enjoy it way more. I don’t think it was funny at all. The voice acting for the animals is good, the actors are all having a good time, some of the animation in the animals was handled really well and there was one joke that I actually laughed out loud on that I don’t remember. However, the animal animation when it comes to physical movements that are things dogs don’t do looked super weird and of course it’s not funny and the characters are meh. But if your child needs something to watch while you clean up or cook dinner then pop this one in. It’s really harmless.
Rating: 1 out 5 stars.
Have you seen Show Dogs? If you have, let me know your thoughts down below and if not, don’t worry about it hahaha.
Thanks for reading and please like and follow this blog for more movie reviews!

Movie Review: A Quiet Place (2018)

~ Alyxwrites ~ 3 Comments

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Summary: In a post-apocalyptic world, a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing.
Pros:
Cast and Characters.
  • Emily Blunt as Evelyn Abbott. She is the wife of Lee and the mother of three children, later adding a fourth. In the wiki it says she was a doctor, which in ways makes sense. Of course, being the mother, she wants her family to be safe, for her husband to keep her children safe when they go out and about, especially now that she’s pregnant and can’t accompany them. She’s smart as well. She knows how to think on her feet. Emily Blunt is great, as I always think, just that scene in the house when she’s in labor is just so great. Her fear for her family, her fear for her life and her baby, and the guilt she feels for what happened to Beau still haunts her. Emily does all of this so well.
  • John Krasinski, as Lee Abbott. An engineer, husband of Evelyn, and the father of Regan, Marcus, and Beau. He is a survivalist who focuses on getting his family through each day. His job is to protect his family and teach his kids how to be survivors as well. He takes Marcus out to learn some things and it’s easy to tell that he wants his son to still enjoy the little things that are awarded to them. He also feels this huge guilt about Beau and it does seem like he’s a little hard on his daughter, but he just feels like he let her down. He’s working on creating a working hearing aid for her and he feels like a failure. It’s interesting really. I’ve never really seen John Krasinski in anything, but he’s great in the role, you really feel and see his fear as well. Plus, he did a great job directing.
  • Millicent Simmonds as Regan Abbott. Lee and Evelyn’s deaf daughter, and Marcus and Beau’s sister. She is close with her young siblings and feels protective over them, but after what happened to Beau, she feels the most guilt about it as she was the one who gave him the rocket. She also feels like her father blames her and they haven’t been on good terms. She’s also a preteen so she’s a bit moody. Mili Simmonds does such a great job, her emotions of feeling like a failure, of being angry, it all makes sense why she feels that way.
  • Noah Jupe as Marcus Abbott. The oldest son of Lee and Evelyn, and Regan and Beau’s brother. I saw this kid in Wonder and I really liked him then, so once I realized who he was, I got excited lol. His facial expressions are some of the highlights of the film. He does so much with just his expressions. When he’s with his father out and about, for what seems like the first time, he is terrified of what might happened, but he’s also very wise because he understands his sister and his father, and he knows there’s a rift. He wants them to fix it. He also does whatever he can to reach out and protect his family, he even gets in trouble for trying to help. I liked him a lot, I mean I liked everyone, but he was a wise kid. Noah Jupe does a great job in the film.
The Premise. Legit, this movie gives away nothing and you learn nothing about the world their in. The movie is about the family having to survive whatever is going on and not about what happened to the world. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to know what the creatures were and why they were there. What happened before the movie? Sometimes movies like this has little nuggets where they’ll share things, newspaper articles and what not, that kind of give you a hint of what happened but this movie doesn’t do that. It has those things but because the family doesn’t really know much, we as the audience don’t get to know much. The movie isn’t that long but that’s okay because it packs such a punch.
Family Dynamic. The film has hardly any dialogue, so we have to see how this family interacts without that. The very beginning, we see them scavenging a grocery store and we see how they work together. Something happens at the beginning and the family feels a crushing guilt, everyone pretty much, which causes a rift, especially between Regan and Lee which you can see throughout. But there is also a close bond between Marcus and Regan which is sweet. They way the parents love each other and their children, how Lee wants to do anything he can to protect his family, or how Evelyn does whatever she can to protect her unborn and then later newborn baby. They felt like a real family and you want to see them succeed.
Horror Aspects. I don’t normally enjoy horror films, too scared, but I wanted to see this movie since I knew about it. It’s very quiet and as a watcher, make sure you watch the film on a large screen (if you can), make sure it’s dark and silent to get the full ambiance of the film. It’s quiet, it only gets silent whenever the movie “goes into” Regan’s POV since she’s deaf but other than that, you might hear natural sounds, but the characters aren’t making noise, or at least very minimal noise. Due to the silence, it allows for a lot of scares to really get you and while they are jump scares, they’re done in a smart way.
Evelyn, Baby and Monster. Definitely the best scene in the film because it plays up on so much fear, tension and stress. I was stressed out watching it. The scene is set up earlier when she is doing laundry and when she realizes her water broke, she goes to fix their yard lights to Lee and the others would know, and something happen that causes her to drop something with a clatter which causes the monsters to come to the house. So much stress because she has to have her baby and of course the baby might cry, and the thing is in the house. The whole scene with her in the bath tub, ugh. So good. Emily Blunt did the damn thing!
Use of Sound. The movie is smart in how it uses sound. Because the creatures are attracted by sound and attack anything making it, it’s interesting how they even hear just the tiniest sound. The ticking of a timer, the static of a broken TV, all of these things are used in such a smart way. Also, there is a great scene with Regan in the cornfield and the creature that comes through the cornstalks. How they worked that in through the film was so cool!
Creature Design. Ugh those things are ugly. I want to know what they are, but since they’re movie monsters, it’s easy to say “Oh I’ve seen that before” but I can honestly say I have never seen monsters with faces like those. How they could open the flaps on their heads to listen for the tiny sounds, or the fact that they kind of look like extreme mutated humans, but they were kind of cool but also very gross lol. Very original design.
Cons:
Character Stupidity. There are a few instances where I think things could be avoided if characters didn’t make stupid choices. For one thing, we know it’s been 89 days since whatever happened, happened, so all of their kids know by now the severity of what they’re experiencing. Even the youngest boy. But for the newborn, why didn’t the parents think to use condoms or maybe other means of abstinence considering how babies and children are loud? Things will happen that causes them to be loud. It seems like unnecessary stress. What about taking the batteries with them instead of leaving them on the counter? Why not have the little one in the front of the group so he could be seen at all times? What about that nail? It was already sticking up? Why didn’t Lee or even Evelyn notice it before and pull it out? What about Regan being a moody teenager and going off on her own because she’s upset? I know they can’t physically talk but they communicate in sign language and I’m sure she wouldn’t have left if she and Lee actually had a talk BEFORE the events of the film. It makes for wonderful storytelling but still can’t help but to notice.
Overall, I really liked the film. All of the characters are such interesting and well-written characters. The actors do a great job living into his world they unfortunately have to live in and they all have a great family dynamic and chemistry that they feel like a family. All the while a family that has tragedy and it feels a little strained. The premise of the family trying to survive and being a unit is what the film is about, they just happen to be in a post-apocalyptic society. It is a horror film, and I did jump, but it creates a feeling of stress and tension more than fear, personally. The best scene in the film was with Evelyn in the house when she’s in labor, the tension, the stress I felt was so intense, it was so good, and Emily Blunt did a great job. I also think the use of sound in the film is very unique as is the design of the creature. My only problem at the moment is how characters make really dumb choices that could easily be avoided or how there are things that happen that could be controlled but are treated like they couldn’t. Otherwise, this is a great film!
Rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars.

Movie Review: Everyday (2018)

~ Alyxwrites ~ 1 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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Movie Review: Kidnap (2017)

~ Alyxwrites ~ 3 Comments

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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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Movie Review: Happy Death Day (2017)

~ 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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Movie Review: Home Again (2017)

~ Alyxwrites ~ 1 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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