Movie Review

Movie Review: Anna (2019)

~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

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Summary: Beneath Anna Poliatova’s striking beauty lies a secret that will unleash her indelible strength and skill to become one of the world’s most feared government assassins.
This will be a short review.
Pros:
Action Sequences. If there is anything this movie has going for it, it’s the action sequences. They are handled and choreographed well. The scene in the restaurant was great. She walked in confident like and then goes to crap and she must fight for her life against her mark’s henchmen and she only has five minutes to prove herself. I thought it was great because she kicked butt. I mean, she got her butt handed to her a few times, but she held her own and it was cool! She killed someone with a pole from the bar or something like that, it was crazy. My friend and I were like “Oooo, wow!” the entire time. She also has this big fight at the end, after she completes a major assignment, she must escape the building and pretty much encounters a ton of guards and she fights each one she meets. She has great prowess with a gun.
Entertaining/Fun. I don’t think this movie has great writing or anything but it’s fun. It reminds of Red Sparrow, but I enjoyed this movie way more because it’s just fun to watch. The story isn’t anything special but watching Anna’s montage of her missions, how she kicks butt and some of the story elements are entertaining, so it makes at least enjoyable. Keeps your attention.
Helen Mirren. She is a national treasure and is literally amazing in everything she’s in, even if the movie isn’t that great. Her character Olga is complicated. She’s part of the KGB and very much a Miranda Priestley type. She’s intimidating and observant and you wonder just how much she knows and what she’s keeping from Anna and by extension the audience. There are some character surprises from her later but if you’re paying attention, they may not be surprises at all.
Luke Evans & Cillian Murphy. We see them both a bit at the very beginning. We’re later introduced to Luke Evans when he tries to recruit Anna for the KGB. We see Cillian Murphy a few more times but he meets Anna much later. They both end up creating interesting relationships with her and maybe it’s because I like both actors, I was interested in seeing what happens with them. Particularly Luke Evans because we didn’t get to learn a ton about him, and I just wanted to follow him more. They’re both good in their roles, almost the same person just on opposite ends with kind of different personalities but ultimately the same kind of person.
Great Cinematography. Beautiful looking film. The colors are very vibrant when they’re there and you can pretty much see everything. All the fight scenes are well lit and shot so you can see what’s going on.
Cons:
Sophia Luss as Anna. I don’t quite think the character was bad, but the actress was just okay. Yes, she’s pretty, but I didn’t quite believe her as this character. She’s inconsistent. In the scenes when she’s in her apartment when she first meets Luke Evans, I quite liked her then. I don’t know if it was because she wasn’t that into her whole “spy” thing yet or what but I all the emotional stuff she had to do just didn’t do it for me. Plus, she cried too much at certain points, or she was whining too much.
The Story. Majority of the story was Anna doing things to get out of her situation. She was found and offered a solution to her bad life, but she was entering a questionable life. Then it was her always talking about being free and constantly asking people how she could do it and what she could do in order to be free. I mean, honestly, she wasn’t that interesting to me to be invested in her story and there wasn’t an interesting or strong enough story to really help elevate the action we got to see. I mean, the beginning was interesting by showing us all these undercover agents being rounded up, but we don’t hear anything about them until about halfway through the movie. I mean what?? Lol, the movie should have followed one of the agents that got rounded up, or maybe an agent that managed to not get rounded up, or they should have just followed Cillian Murphy’s character.
Overall, Anna is mindless fun. There isn’t much of a story to really catch your attention or keep it. You’ll probably come for the actors and for the action and I think both of those things are positives for the most part. There are two distinct action sequences that are fun to watch, very well shot and choreographed and Sophia Luss does a good job in selling the action… probably because she doesn’t have to do much acting if the camera isn’t focused on her face. Helen Mirren is always great, and her character is probably the most interesting in the film. Luke Evans and Cillian Murphy are also good in their smaller roles. Sophia Luss is okay, she doesn’t do it for me when it comes to acting, she was too inconsistent for me to be that invested in her character. But if you’re looking for a spy thriller that will at least be entertaining, then you can check out Anna.
Rating: 2.30 out of 5 stars.
Have you seen Anna? What are your thoughts on this film? Let me know in the comments below!
What is your favorite spy movie?
Thanks for reading and be sure to like and follow this blog for more movie reviews.
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Movie Review: Glass (2019)

~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

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Summary: Security guard David Dunn uses his supernatural abilities to track Kevin Wendell Crumb, a disturbed man who has twenty-four personalities.
You can read my Split Review and my Spoiler Talk. I did watch Unbreakable finally and I don’t think I’ll review it, at least not right now.
Pros:
Cast and Characters. 
  • Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price / Mr. Glass. He is an intelligent comic book theorist with Type I osteogenesis imperfecta, who was institutionalized after David Dunn discovered his crimes. He spends a lot of this movie silent, in a state where he doesn’t seem to be able to do anything other than stare into the distance. He appears very unassuming and around the end, his intentions and plans start to come to fruition, and he proves he’s still the smartest one. SLJ is great, I like how Mr. Glass is basically a fanboy who really lost his mind. It’s something we’ve seen before but he takes it to the extreme, especially once we find out just how far he’s gone. SLJ plays intimidating and crazy well.
  • James McAvoy as Kevin Wendell Crumb / The Horde. My favorite character in this movie. He is twenty-seven years old and a former Philadelphia Zoo employee with 23 different personalities whose body chemistry changes with each personality, culminating in a 24th personality known as “The Beast”, a savage superhuman cannibal whose abilities include wall-crawling, enhanced strength, speed, durability, and agility. I love the fact that we got to see many more personalities in this compared to Split but he plays them all so well and the fluidity of how he goes into each one. Of course, we see Hedwig, Dennis, Patricia and Barry again and they’re all still great. I mean, Hedwig is a character lol. I love James McAvoy. He’s great. I LOVE HIM and I’m glad he’s had like three movies this year, two of them were not that great but he’s always great in them. The way he can just go through different alters and it’s clear that they are different people, not to mention him as The Beast, it’s just so impressive and I honestly want to see an origin story of him. Not “The Beast” as that is what Split is but of his life with the others and McAvoy can play those too since he’s supposed to be 27 and McAvoy is not lol. But I want more of him. He’s the only reason why I teared up a little at the end.
  • Bruce Willis as David Dunn / The Overseer. He is a superhuman vigilante with enhanced strength and durability, as well as the ability to see the crimes people have committed by touching them. Dunn lives a quiet life, but he still goes out to play hero with his son as his “man in the chair” and it’s clear they’ve been doing this for years. Dunn is the strong silent type and it’s because of him that he and The Horde get caught. Dunn tries to save some kidnapped girls and he and The Beast end up having a nice fight. Throughout the movie, he’s almost a nonfactor until the end and he gets to let go since he has an opponent that he doesn’t have to hold back from. I’ve always enjoyed Bruce Willis and he’s fine, the movie doesn’t focus a lot on him but when it does, he’s good.
  • Sarah Paulson as Dr. Ellie Staple. She is a psychiatrist who specializes in delusions of grandeur and it’s her mission to prove Dunn, Price and Kevin aren’t superhumans and she basically uses words to mess with them. I mean, she’s good at her job because they do start to doubt who they are and what they can do. I quite liked how she was able to really confuse Patricia who holds The Horde down lol. I mean, she’s a psychiatrist so whenever we see her, she’s talking lol. Sarah Paulson is a good actress, I haven’t seen her in a ton of things but everything I have seen with her, I think she’s dynamic and here her character isn’t this big personality and you never know what she might say to really get into their heads. I really like the ending for her character, it allows the audience to understand her more.
  • Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke. She is a 17-year-old girl with a history of abuse who was kidnapped by one of Kevin’s identities as a potential sacrifice to “The Beast” but managed to survive. After Kevin gets taken to the hospital, she comes to see him and I find her role interesting in this because she cares for Kevin, even though he was part of a traumatic experience for her. I mean, I know at the end of the day, it wasn’t Kevin, but it was still his body… I don’t know, I liked that she was able to pull Kevin to the light and all that, but I found it an interesting connection. ATJ is great, very compelling to watch.
  • Spencer Treat Clark as Joseph Dunn. David’s son who has believed in his father’s abilities since he was a child and sees him as a real-life superhero. I think it’s great they got the same actor to play his son and I loved his unshakable belief in his dad even when his dad started to doubt it himself.
Story Connections. When I saw Split, I loved it even before I learned of the connection to Unbreakable which I hadn’t seen at that point. I was aware of that movie and what it was essentially about, but I didn’t know the details so the stinger at the end was cool. I like how Mr. Glass is still proving he’s the smartest in the room and that he literally thinks of everything even when others think they bested him. Nice try lol. I like the fact that you have “The Beast” and the only person who can really handle him is Dunn because of his ability and The Horde feels threatened, it’s an interesting dynamic. Shyamalan has said he’s not interested in making more movies after this one but the shared universe he created is interesting and I would be interested in case he did.
The Ideas. I like what the movie was trying to do in terms of the questions being asked. What if everything you believe about yourself being “super” is in your head. I think that’s a great question and a good way to take a deeper look at people who superhuman.
The Climax. The movie is basically building to this moment, as it should, and while I’ll talk about it a little in my cons, I think it was overall enjoyable to watch. Mr. Glass set things in motion and now he, along with the audience gets to sit back and enjoy The Beast and Dunn’s collision. It was fun to watch, and I was really into seeing everyone get to use their powers, or fully embrace them and just clash. Plus, it’s around this time that we just get so much information and revelations and it’s really cool. James McAvoy running across that grass like an animal is literally my favorite thing.
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I was waiting for that the entire movie lol.
Cons:
Underwhelming. Boy this movie ends in such a lackluster way. I mean, I get it, the entire movie was building up to a moment and I know what it means, what it was supposed to be like, at least in my mind and I don’t think it provides the conclusion these movies deserve. It’s very underwhelming and I was actually upset. Not like upset like “dang man that’s sad” it was sad, and I did tear up a little bit but mostly because REALLY???? These characters are interesting and don’t get me wrong, it’s been 19 years since we’ve seen Dunn and Glass, but you then bring in such an interesting character in Kevin and then you do this? Meh. I was not happy with this ending. All that build up for that. It’s like waiting for a rocket to launch and then the fuse goes out right before takeoff. Lame. These characters deserved much better.
More Interactions. We needed more interactions between the main three characters. In the beginning, we have an interaction with The Beast and Dunn and then that’s really it. They never really interact again, even when all three of them are in the same room. Dunn and Glass never talk until the last 30 minutes… I mean, come on. Most people are banking on something going on with these three and Dunn spends most of the movie isolated and while Kevin is interesting because of his many alters, it would have been nice to see Patricia or even Hedwig interact with Dunn. They talked about him enough. Missed opportunities! I don’t want to see them interact with the orderlies in the hospital, I want to see them talk and interact with each other!
Nothing is Happening. This movie feels like a series of things just happening, but nothing is actually happening. There are moments where our main three are speaking with Dr. Staples and that’s where most of the things seem to happen. She’s trying to get them to think about themselves in a different way and it’s clever. Then it’s just a lot of watching people and talking. Don’t get me wrong, I particularly was interested in the moments with Kevin and his alters but it was like the moving was just very slowly moving towards something and it picked up only to be shot down so fast.
Overall, I enjoyed Glass for the most part. I thought the acting was great with James McAvoy as the standout because his role is so complicated, dynamic and interesting that he really steals the show when he’s on screen, which is great because I love him. Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis are also great to see on screen. I really like the idea of the film and what it was trying to accomplish because it’s a different look at the superhero genre and the climax was entertaining. I think this movie has a problem with keeping the momentum going because it feels like nothing is happening and when the big climax happens, you get into it but then the payoff is really underwhelming, and it feels like a very lackluster ending to an interesting trilogy. Besides, there should have been way more interactions between our main three actors, and it was such a missed opportunity to not have them be more involved with each other. That’s where the interesting stuff happens. I feel like there was a lot of things cut out that would have helped but I also watched the deleted scenes in the DVD and those deleted scenes added nothing lol. So, I’m like well dang lol. Watch this one for the familiar characters and the great performances.
Rating: 2.9 out of 5 stars.
Have you seen Glass? What are your thoughts on the film? Let me know in the comments below!
Which out of the Unbreakable trilogy is your favorite? Unbreakable, Split, or Glass?
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Movie Review: Detective Pikachu (2019)

~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

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Summary: In a world where people collect Pokémon to do battle, a boy comes across an intelligent talking Pikachu who seeks to be a detective.
Pros:
Cast and Characters. There are plenty of characters we meet in the film but I’m going to focus on only the lead characters because they’re the ones we see the most and get to know the most.
  • Ryan Reynolds as Detective Pikachu. He is a world-class detective and exceptionally smart talking Pikachu whom only Tim can understand. Reynolds performed both the voice and facial motion capture for the character. At first, when I saw the trailers for this movie, I thought it was weird they chose Reynolds, I mean don’t get me wrong, he’s funny and it’s kind of funny coming out of a cute Pikachu but at the same time, I wasn’t sure if it would take me out of the movie. To be honest, it does take me out of the movie. I watched it twice and it was better the second time around but he’s very distracting because you just think “Deadpool”, while he’s talking. With that said, I thought he did very well in his chemistry with the other actors, sure he’s not on screen with them, at least probably not doing all the movements but the facial stuff and you can tell, he’s expressive. The relationship he builds with Tim throughout the movie is also acted well on his part, you believe they’re slowly becoming friends just like you believe this little Pikachu might be a little neurotic when it comes to certain things. I think Ryan Reynolds plays this like himself, like Deadpool, and it works for the most part.
  • Justice Smith as Tim Goodman. He is a former Pokémon trainer who is looking for his missing father. He ends working with Pikachu and the only person who can hear him speak. Tim is a little jaded when it comes to working with Pokémon after some sadness in his life. He goes to the city to gather up his father’s assets, but he ends up finding this mysterious gas that causes the Aipoms outside his window to freak out, Pikachu shows up and the adventure begins. Throughout the first half of the movie, Tim isn’t interested in Pokémon, he isn’t interested in following in his father’s footsteps, he just wants to move on with his life so he’s that character that needs to be changed by the events he gets involved in. I think he’s a likable character, he’s a little awkward but brave and shows that in many ways. I think Justice Smith is very likable and I think he was a good choice for the role because he has great chemistry with Ryan Reynolds, even though it’s just his voice lol. I think he also handles being in the world of Pokémon, especially to the big city that is full of Pokémon like any newbie would.
  • Kathryn Newton as Lucy Stevens. She is a junior reporter who is accompanied by a Psyduck. She’s plucky and wants to get to the bottom of the mystery she started to unravel herself before Tim shows up. They end up teaming up because he’s the only one who can save his dad and she’s smart and figured most of it out on her own. I mostly know her from Supernatural and she manages to find this fine line of being annoying and kind of endearing at the same time. It works for her. I liked Lucy, she’s very go-get-em and I loved how she would handle her Psyduck as they are easily stressed and can cause problems.
Pokémon/World Design. This movie is so nice to look at it for the most part. The designs of the Pokémon are done so well with how they’re integrated into the real world, there are plenty of times where I’m like “OMG they’re so cute!” like Pikachu clearly got the most budget because he is the cutest thing and I want one lol. Bulbasaur, Psyduck and the Greninjas are also designed nicely. We see these Pokémon the most so I would think they would get a bit more love than the Pokémon that are in the background. They still have that CGI look to them, but you can allow it because they are so “other” that it’s not too jarring when you see them, or when you see new Pokémon up close or anything like that. Not to mention, Rhyme City is clearly based on London, and they’ve elevated it into a futuristic city.
It’s Funny. Of course, humor is subjective, but I laughed quite a bit during this film. I don’t think it’s splitting your sides funny, but it has a lot of well-handled and well-written humor. I think my favorite scene is probably the one with Mr. Mime because I find Mime humor stupid and hilarious and I cracked up. Ryan Reynolds of course has some great lines and with his delivery in that face it works. Justice Smith and Kathryn Newton also have great funny moments, she really reminds me of like those intense reporters, a Lois Lane type and she just will go off doing her own thing and Tim is just like “Wait… what are you doing?” Then of course interactions with other Pokémon as well. It’s funny lol.
Fun Mystery/Interesting Story. I do think the mystery in the film is handled well. I did find myself figuring things out earlier than the reveals, but also being kind of surprised at certain events. I think the writing is handled well enough that you’re if you’re into the story and you like to discover mysteries, this movie might just keep you on your toes. When I watched it the second time, I was able to pick up on more things I might have missed the first, or things that helped me to connect the dots more since I already knew the ending, so it definitely has rewatch value and the story keeps you entertained and engaged. I mean, there are like three different mysteries going on here. I’ll get into this a bit more later.
Cons:
Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu. This is a personal thing and I don’t think he was bad, quite the contrary, but I could not stand his voice in the character to be honest. Like I said, when I saw the trailers, I was like “ehhh I don’t know” and thought it was weird they chose Reynolds. I probably would have thought it was weird if they chose anyone with a crazy deep voice and I know that’s the point, but I think the difference in having Danny DeVito vs. Reynolds is that DeVito’s voice might have been funnier coming out of the character and most of the younger crowd might not know who he is, and it might not be as distracting. I can’t say I’d want DeVito either but just comparing. Reynolds’ voice takes me out of the movie on several occasions. I watched it twice and it was better the second time around but he’s very distracting because you just think “Deadpool”, while he’s talking. He clearly has fun but whenever he’s being emotional, I just don’t believe him lol. It always sounds like he’s joking. During an emotional scene, I kind of laughed…
Villain Motives/Plans. So, without spoiling anything, though I am a few months late, lol I though the villain’s motives were lame and while I get how he set up his plan, I thought it was stupid because how would you keep anyone from taking that little piece off your head? It’s not like you have top security… not to mention, his big plan with the humans and Pokémon, while it’s interesting, how would that work in the long run? So many questions and too many holes.
Too Many Plotlines. While I thought the story was interesting and the mystery was fun to figure out, I also just like to solve things, I do think the movie has an issue trying to juggle everything. I mean, there is so much going on. It’s hard to want to cut out any of the storylines because they weaved them together. I mean, Mewtwo is in this and does he have to be? I mean really? The power they rely on that he has, he doesn’t even really have. The reason I thought Tim could hear Pikachu was different than what happened, and I think this goes in with the villain’s main plot. I hope I’m not confusing you lol, I’m trying not to spoil but… I just think there could have been some things cut out from the story.
Overall, I quite enjoyed this movie, more than I thought I would. I think the character designs for the Pokémon is handled so well that whenever Pikachu was on screen, I found myself looking at how his fur moved and other things. I like the characters, particularly the ones we get to spend the most time with and I think the acting is good too. It’s a fun movie with some nice humorous moments thrown in there and I think the movie does a good job at focusing on the relationship between Tim and Pikachu because it’s the most important and most interesting. I do still think it’s hard to not be distracted by Ryan Reynold’s voice, but he’s not terrible at least. The villain motive is stupid and dumb and I’m thinking it could have been taking out of the movie, which would have helped the movie have a more focused storyline without so much going on at once. Oh! Missed opportunity for not having the theme song in the closing credits. MISSED OPPORTUNITY.
Rating: 3.6 out of 5 stars.
Have you seen Detective Pikachu? What are your thoughts on the film? What is your favorite Pokemon? Let me know in the comments below!

Movie Review: Teen Spirit (2018)

~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

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Summary: Violet is a shy teenager who dreams of escaping her small town and pursuing her passion to sing. With the help of an unlikely mentor, she enters a local singing competition that will test her integrity, talent and ambition. Driven by a pop-fueled soundtrack, Teen Spirit is a visceral and stylish spin on the Cinderella story.
This will be a short review.
Pros:
Elle Fanning. She plays Violet Valensky, a shy teenager who lives on Isle of Wight, in a small village. She wants to be a singer and things begin to happen to push her towards that dream. I’ve always liked Elle Fanning and she goes a really nice job with Violet. It’s like a Cinderella story so she’s unhappy with her life in how she’s stuck in the same old routine. She doesn’t often complain about it but in the way,  Elle plays it and the way it’s filmed, it’s easy to tell that.
Other Characters. We meet a few other characters in the film, such as Violet’s mom who is a trip most of the movie and Agnieszka Grochowska was great to watch. Zlatko Buric as Vlad was great as her mentor. He was a former opera singer and they end up becoming friends. You’re not quite sure about him but he comes through when he needs to.
Use of Music. There are a lot of popular contemporary pop songs in this movie but a lot of them are either sung by Violet during the moments she sings in the film or they’ve instrumental. If they were just the regular songs, this would probably be in the cons because I really dislike the extreme use of pop songs in the film when there isn’t much of a reason for it to be there. But I quite liked how they were used in this film.
Relationship between Violet and Vlad. This is the relationship we see shown throughout the film and it starts out a little weird but it ends up growing on you as the movie goes on. Vlad is a washed-up opera singer and he mentors Violet, after she talks him into pretending to be her guardian so she could enter the competition without her mom knowing (her mom is strict). He is very protective of her as well, he’s a drunk so he never seems to quite commit to what he’s saying but you know that he cares. It also shows that she cares too even though they have this kind of sardonic banter. It’s kind of nice and they both play it nicely.
Cons:
The Style/Tone. The style and tone of this movie confuses me because the story and the tone wants to war against each other. The film has this very dark and somber look and then story reflects that at times but then it turns into this “Pop star competition” for the story and I was just like “I don’t quite know if I like this”. It just comes off like “trying hard to make this rising singer’s story super sad”.
Extremely Cliché. Anytime there is a movie that deals with a character wanting to be a singer or anything like that, there are always going to be beats that it’s going to hit. This film hits a lot of them. Her mom being super hard on her for stupid things, the washout/drunk mentor, the shy lead, the evil record producer. I mean, I could get going lol and I was like “okay, this is going to turn out this way” and most of the time I was right. It’s hard not to predict these kinds of films because there are so many of them and this one doesn’t do anything new for me to be surprised by.
Weak Ending. So, we get this pretty awesome performance by Violet in her competition and then she goes out, hugs her mentor who is super excited for her doing so well. Then she walks away, we see a shot of her mentor getting off a train and then it cuts to Violet on a bus or something then it ends. My friend and I were like “wait what…” I don’t particularly like abrupt endings, especially when the rest of the movie had such a chill tone. Not to mention, you get more stuff in the credits and I’m like “man really?” I mean obviously I watch the credits because I like to and Marvel has groomed me lol, but still.
Overall, I think the movie good but it’s not anything to write to your mom about. Elle Fanning is the best thing about it to be honest. There’s other good stuff but she is a highlight. I really like her. She has a really nice singing voice so anytime she had to perform, I was into it. I think her best performance is her last one but the “Dancing” song was also a really good performance. “Lights” was okay, but I don’t think anyone sounds good singing that song lol. The use of the music throughout the film was also nice, normally, the inclusion of contemporary pop songs can drive me up a wall, but they were either sung or instrumental which helped. The relationship built between Violet and Vlad is really nice and while it starts off rocky and continues to be rocky in ways, it’s sweet because they clearly care for each other. Now, I think the style/tone is weird in this movie. It doesn’t quite match what the movie is about and I couldn’t help but think constantly in the movie that it shouldn’t be as “dark” film wise or as serious in tone when it doesn’t particularly need to be that. It’s sooo cliché and I’m not even going to go into that again. Then of course the ending is weak. Overall, the movie is fine. If you like music, then of course check it out.
Rating: 3.3 out of 5 stars. 
Have you seen Teen Spirit? Have you even heard of it? If you have seen it, what are your thoughts?
Let me know your thoughts below!
Thanks for reading and keep your eyes open for more movie reviews!

Movie Review: Hobbs and Shaw (2019)

~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

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Summary: Lawman Luke Hobbs and outcast Deckard Shaw form an unlikely alliance when a cyber-genetically enhanced villain threatens the future of humanity.
This will be a short review.
Pros:
Cast and Characters. These characters are straight forward, I mean, there’s a little character development as Hobbs and Shaw are forced to work together and they’re very different, with different methods and outlooks but at their core, they’re the same person. Hobbs is the hammer and Shaw is the scalpel. What movie is that reference from?
  • Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs. Luke is a DSS agent who is assigned by the CIA to work with Deckard in order to stop a dangerous serum. Luke is completely against this idea because he and Deckard don’t get along, because Shaw is a bad guy! Or has been in the past! Dwayne Johnson is likable! I mean, how could anyone dislike him. To be honest, Luke is just the big, muscled guy with a heart of gold, who will do whatever he can to achieve his objectives, that isn’t going to always win him favor because he is very noticeable. There’s not a ton going on, I mean, we meet his daughter and get more into his backstory which is fine but at times, it felt out of place and I think it had to have been Dwayne’s idea to include all that stuff at the end. If so, cool lol but still kind of random. I guess we had to get a bit of Hobb’s way of doing things since we had a lot of Shaw’s ways… lol. Gosh, I keep getting sidetracked lol, but Dwayne Johnson is great as always lol.
  • Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw. He is a mercenary who worked with the British Special Forces and MI6. He is so smooth and suave and the opposite of Luke Hobbs. He was a villain in previous films, so he and Hobbs are still at odds from that even though they did kind of work together. So, the very beginning, we see that his character has his way of doing things and he often makes fun of Hobbs because of how different and obvious he is, it’s a running joke about how big Hobbs is lol. Statham is just cool. I’ve always thought he was cool whenever I see him in a movie, even when he’s playing a bad guy (Cellular anyone lol). He’s very funny and how he incorporates his humor and his stunts works great for him. Plus, he has great chemistry with Dwayne Johnson.
  • Idris Elba as Brixton Lore. He is a cyber-genetically enhanced terrorist working for Eteon and former MI6 field agent who has a history with Deckard. They’ve upped the ante with this villain in that he really is like a supervillain in how he can move and the things he does. I mean, the way he operates his motorcycle will wow you. His entrance was great, his last scene in the film was great and he really kicked butt. He’s taller than Statham but nearly as big as Johnson but he is so imposing that you worry for both Hobbs and Shaw. He has his own issues with Shaw and a lot of that spurs him on, but he has his objective, and nothing stands in his way. Not even 16-wheeler trucks. Idris Elba is commanding and charming, even when he’s evil. Plus, I love when he uses his own accent, man, if he came to my door trying to sell something, I’ll probably buy it as soon as he says “hello”.
  • Vanessa Kirby as Hattie Shaw. We meet her early on and then she becomes more important as the film goes on. She’s competent and I really liked her. She is very similar to Deckard in ways but with a little mix of Hobbs due to her honor. She’s a nice middle ground between the two. I’ve seen her in a few things, minor roles in action films and I really liked her. I wasn’t sure if I would when we first met her even if her introduction was also cool, but she grows on you and I like her interactions with her brother and with Hobbs. I keep saying people are likable but it’s true.
Wildly Entertaining. Listen, even if you don’t care about the story in these films (which I mean who really does) just know it’s so entertaining. My friend and I saw it in Dolby which was AHMAZING (I think I’m spoiled now) and you will enjoy it so much if you don’t think about it so much. The fight scenes, the entire sequence during the climax fight with the cars and the airplane. Not to mention, the fight in the rain. I love these movies because they’re so much fun and I love it. I was so into it and plus Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham work so well together and watching them go at it and work together it a great time.
Great Action Sequences. There are a lot of action sequences in this film and let me just say they’re all good. One of my favorites is the car chase scene with Idris Elba on his motorcycle, I boldly say that that scene alone is better than at least three of the Fast and the Furious films (Fate of the Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious and Fast and the Furious). I mean there are SO MANY great actions set pieces. SO MANY! The last 45 minutes alone is just so great. The fight scene in the rain is great and the stuff with the plane and the cars! I mean ARGH! It was so fun!
Awesome Villain. Idris Elba is a great actor and he’s a great villain and while his motives were kind of meh, he was a great foil to both Hobbs and Shaw, and he was a formidable opponent. He had some extra special stuff going on which made him even better to face off against these two people which was cool. I mean, motives shmotives lol. Idris Elba is so charming, and he uses his own accent in this which makes it even better. My friend even said she didn’t even listen to a word he said during a villain’s monologue because he’s so beautiful. I mean I get it lol. His arguments were interesting, I can’t imagine anyone really falling for it, I guess some would, but I liked that he really believed in his cause and that he lived it.
Pretty funny. I mean obviously, not all the jokes will land for everyone which is okay, but there are a lot of jokes that do land. Johnson and Statham have great chemistry and good comedic timing. Not to mention, their delivery of certain lines works out because sometimes the lines are just ridiculous, so the actual line and then the delivery makes it funny. The airplane sequence, the one where they’re just riding a plane lol, is cute and there’s a comedian in the film, who has some funny interactions with Hobbs and Shaw. Also, there’s another comedic actor in the film, who I believe is also uncredited and they’re a delight each time they’re on screen.
Cons:
Too Long. This movie is 135 minutes, which is about 2 hours and 25 minutes and I think it could have been 25 minutes shorter. I thought that it should have ended before the big climax at the end. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it was awesome, but at one point, I was like “Okay, it should be over now”, it felt like they wanted to drag it out longer and I don’t think it really had to do that.
Who Comes for the Story? The story is fine I guess but it’s not what you come to these movies for. The Fast and the Furious has always had its charm and while this is a completely new franchise (spinoff), it has the same issue of the story not being that interesting. You go for the characters and for what crazy tricks they’ll do next. The whole thing with whatever serum this is, I mean who cares? I was into it because of the characters and their antics not because I cared about what the villain was after or what the good guys were trying to do. There’s technology and stuff and this evil group of people who are run by some mysterious being… bruh, I don’t even care lol.
WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER BROTHER!? This is more of a personal thing, but WHAT ABOUT OWEN! I mean, we met Owen before we even met Deckard, he comes into the picture because of what happened to Owen and he’s hardly even mentioned in the film. It’s like he doesn’t even exist. We see a random person in a flashback, but he’s never mentioned and throughout the entire movie, I was like “WHAT ABOUT OWEN!” The mother, Deckard and Hattie don’t even MENTION HIM. CONTINUITY PEOPLE!
Overall, this movie is pure fun. If you go into this movie thinking you’re going to get some well put together narrative with complex acting… this is not that film lol. The acting is good, the actors are clearly having fun in their roles. All the main characters we encounter are likable and the actors do such a great job in their roles, they’re having fun but they’re taking it seriously. The action is SO GOOD and if you can see this film in Dolby, do yourself a favor and see it in that format. It’s very entertaining. I mean I had such a great time. Also, Idris Elba is good as the villain. I mean really good. Now, even with all that goodness, there are some negatives, like my personal issues with the continuity, I need to know what’s going on with the other brother and why they only mentioned him like once. But also, the story is just stupid, and I did not care about any of that because who does. Lastly, it’s too long because the entire sequence on the island, while super cool and one of my favorite action set pieces, it just feels random. But if you don’t put too much logic into the film and you like The Fast and the Furious franchise, then this movie will scratch that itch… and this one is at least number 3 or 4 in my ranking of the F&F movies.
Rating: 3 out 5 stars. 
Have you seen The Fast and the Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw? Are you interested? Which is your favorite Fast and Furious film?
Let me know your thoughts below!
Thanks for reading and keep your eyes open for more movie reviews!
Oh! By there way, there are three end credit scenes. One kind of early on, then one in the middle (I think) and then one at the very end.

Movie Review: Fast Color (2018)

~ Alyxwrites ~ 1 Comment

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Summary: A woman is forced to go on the run when her superhuman abilities are discovered. Years after having abandoned her family, the only place she has left to hide is home.
This is a short review.
Pros:
Cast and Characters.
  • Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Ruth. I’ve always liked her and I think she’s a very good actress and she’s generally always likable in whatever role she plays. I least I think so. Her character gets to go through a lot of emotional turmoil and she’s SO GOOD AT IT. You really feel for her but you’re not quite sure why you feel for her. Ruth’s powers aren’t really explained or even talked about early on, we just see her having seizures and causing things to happen. It’s really cool but it’s like wait what?? As the film goes on, we see her try to fall back into an easy rhythm and it’s nice. I think the last 20 minutes though were her best moments! She is the highlight of the film.
  • Lorraine Toussaint as Bo. She is Ruth’s mother and the guardian of Lila and she’s been doing her thing with Lila and they’ve managed for 8 years. When Ruth comes home, she’s a bit wary because of whatever issues they had when Ruth left. However, she’s willing to help Ruth, she is her daughter after all, but she wants to protect Lila at all costs. We learn little things about Bo as the film goes on and she really gets to shine towards the end. Lorraine Toussaint first of all, has a great voice, such texture! I could listen to her read a book! But she is really great here and I really like the protectiveness and strength she has throughout the film. The ending with her was super great.
  • Saniyya Sidney as Lila. She’s really cute and I really liked her. I’ve seen her in Fences and something else I think, but I think she’s good. She’s super sassy when she needs to be but she also comes off very mature. I think she’s about 8 or 9 in the film but she feels older and maybe it’s because of the world she grew up in, I don’t know but she does a really good job. Her character is likable, she’s not annoying and I thought she had really good chemistry with both Gugu and Lorraine. I’m interested in seeing a sequel with her and Gugu mixing it up in a new location.
The Powers. We haven’t quite seen powers like this before. I don’t want to give away what they can do but they all seem to have the same abilities, maybe some are stronger than others, perhaps that’s only when they get older, but still. I think how its handled is really cool, the effects are simple but effective. Not to mention, the inclusion of the color aspect of what they seen when they use their powers… once we see them as a viewer, it’s really beautiful.
Interesting Story. I think there is a lot of interest here and I actually wish this was a television series or something to have more explored. Maybe they’ll do a sequel because it ended like there could be one and I think there is ton of potential for a sequel. Anyway, you have Ruth who is on the run from these mysterious men, it’s always people who want to dissect the things they don’t understand but then you have her reconnecting with her mom and daughter who also have abilities. It’s really something we’ve seen before but we’ve never seen a family of black women with special abilities and having to deal with the struggles of that along with other human issues such as abandonment, addiction and what not. Plus, the whole idea of it hasn’t rained for 8 years and water is on short supply and the world seems to be a bit broken is always interesting if handled correctly.
Slow Burn. This is very much a slow burn kind of film. Honestly you have no idea what’s going on when the movie is happening. I mean, you get little nuggets as it goes on and you can put the story together on your own and I like that most times. Especially if it feels like it’s going to lead to something in the end. I thought it was nice to see how the issues between the women unfold.
Beautiful Score. Rob Simonsen does the score in this film and I think it’s subtle but beautiful. I think it’s at its best in the last 20 minutes, because it’s so soft but triumphant that I just can’t. It’s a really nice musical score. I checked his credits and he’s done some really good film scores for some good movies in the past.
Cons:
Doesn’t Quite Tackle the Issues. There’s a lot of issues that come up in this film and I don’t quite think the film tackles all of them to the point where it feels resolved. It doesn’t feel resolved in a way that allows us to think they accomplished anything between them. They have really nice moments but it doesn’t feel like the issues created were fixed. I don’t know if that makes sense but if you watch this, you’ll know what I mean.
Uneven Storytelling. I think this movie unfortunately suffers from “okay storytelling”, I think I get the style of the film but I’m not sure if it works the way they wanted it to. There’s a lot of going to places in the beginning, silence, talking to strangers and then we’re moving again. Then we get stuck at the mom’s house, which is cool, and we get some random scenes in there with this sheriff and the guys who are following Ruth. I mean, in the greater scheme of the story I get it, but it feels out of place and not as interesting as what’s going on with Ruth, Bo and Lila. Let’s get back to that!
Overall, I really liked Fast Color. I think the acting is really good from all three of our lead actresses, particularly with Gugu Mbatha-Raw leading the charge, she’s really strong. I think the powers are handled really well in what we see of them and how they’re used. It’s really unique from the normal superpowers we see in film and TV these days. I would really like to see more of them. There is a really interesting story in here and it’s a slow burn which works mostly for this film. Plus, the music is really good! I do think the story suffers from uneven storytelling and that the film doesn’t quite tackle and resolve all the issues it presents. Listen, if you want to see a movie about black women and how they make it through their situations, and they happen to have abilities that are a big part of who they are, especially as this isn’t a story we’ve seen before, you should watch this. I think it’s highly worth it. It’s not very long being 100 minutes and it’s really beautiful. It has it issues but I think the pros outweigh the cons with also attributes to the amount of potential I see here. Plus, Gugu Mbatha-Raw is really good!
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars. 
I really feel like this film should have been a television series or a mini-series or something because there’s so much potential story here and while I really liked the film, it’s just not enough and not as clear and I would have liked it to be.
Have you seen Fast Color? Have you heard about it? If not, check it out and let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
If you could have superpowers, what would you choose to have? For me, it’s always telekinesis because there’s SO MUCH to be done with that lol.

Movie Review: Monsters and Men (2019)

~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

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Summary: The aftermath of a police officer killing of a black man, told through the eyes of the bystander who filmed the act, an African-American police officer and a high-school baseball phenom inspired to take a stand.
This will be a short review.
Pros:
Cast and Characters. We meet a few characters in this film but we follow three leads so I’m mostly going to talk about them.
  • John David Washington as Dennis Williams. He is a police officer who at the start of the film, gets pulled over by one of his own. It sets the precedent for the film and you can expect for it to be like this for the rest of it and it is. When we get to his section, we see that he cares about his community because he plays basketball with some of the teenage boys but he’s also at odds with his personal beliefs and his duty as a cop. I get it and I liked that we get to see that side because it’s hard to consider the cop, especially a black cop’s role and mindset when it comes to police brutality against people of color, especially black men. It’s clear to see that it affects him in ways, but he can’t help but to think with his cop mind… that probably sounds weird, but you know what I mean. I haven’t seen JD Washington in anything yet (yes, I have not seen BlackKKlansman yet) but I know that I like him. He’s very dynamic to watch and his role in this is very subtle and I honestly wish we got to see more of him.
  • Anthony Ramos as Manny Ortega. I love him. Once I found he was in this, I knew I had to watch it and bump it up on my list. He’s from Hamilton in case you don’t know lol and he’s on Netflix’s She’s Gotta Have It and he was in A Star Is Born lol. But Manny is a young man who at the start of his part, is filling out an application for a job. He has a girlfriend… wife? (played by his real life wife Jasmine Cephas-Jones, who was also in Hamilton) and a daughter and he makes choices with the hopes of doing better for his family, but he does still hang out with his friends and do certain things that could get him into trouble, like buying “illegal” cigarettes and playing dice. He ends up filming the murder of Darius Larsen by the cops and he’s now faced with the choice of sharing what he witnessed once the stories circulate that Darius attacked the cop. I found it interesting that he had this choice, especially once he has a one-sided conversation with a pair of cops. This story line is probably the most interesting in the film. I liked seeing Anthony at the forefront in a dramatic role. I think he does very well, it honestly doesn’t even feel like he’s playing a role but more of an extension of himself which I think is impressive most of the time.
  • Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Zyrick. We see him first in Manny’s part, he gets referred to as “Jeter” due to his baseball playing. We see him again with Dennis while they play basketball, but then he gets his own part and this part must have been inspired by the short film “Stop” on the DVD. He’s a teenager who is working to get into college or whatever due to his baseball skills. He’s very good and he and his dad have a plan. He finds himself stopped by a pair of cops and randomly searched one evening and now his days have been messed up and now he’s wondering what he can do to help in the movement and protest. This part is very realistic because I’m sure a lot of young people started to wonder just what they can do to help take a stand against this issue, especially in the last two years with the rise police brutality seemed to take. I get that. This is the first film I’ve seen with him and I think he’s pretty good. His character is also subtle and in ways emotional, so he gets a lot of silent moments.
Powerful Story. I get what they were trying to do in this film. It starts out with Dennis Williams (Washington) driving along, listening to music and then he gets pulled over and pretty much his day is ruined. If you’ve been pulled over by a cop after you were doing your thing, jamming to music or whatever, I’m sure you can relate. But this moment sets the tone for the rest of the film. We then get to Manny (Ramos) and he’s doing his thing and then he witnesses the murder by cops of a friend. We also get a glimpse of Zyric (Harrison Jr.) through him and then we get a bit more of Dennis’s story and then we get Zyric’s story. I get how this was done and ideally, it would have been a strong choice, but I’ll get into this a bit more later. So, we see how each of these men deal with the whole issue of police brutality and how some officers take advantage of their power and how it affects each of their lives. That’s interesting stuff.
Interesting Storytelling. This goes hand in hand with the part before this. I get the idea of what they were doing with exploring three different sides of the same issue that happened with the death of Darius Larson. You get the side of the black policeman, the side of the young man who filmed it and then a young man who was a bit removed from the situation but affected by it afterwards. I totally get the reason and for the most part, it’s a smart choice.
Cons:
Storytelling Choices. Okay, so I had to mention this here as well because while I get how the broke up the storytelling and exploring each person’s storyline, it feels more like a series of short films more than it feels like a coherent film. This is also evident once you watch the short film “STOP” on the DVD. It’s broken up into three parts and they have their connections, but they also feel disjointed which is the big problem I found. Plus, it leaves a very unsatisfying ending. Perhaps this would have fared better if it was a mini-series because it feels very episodic.
The Ending. WHAT IS UP WITH THIS ENDING! Literally, my friend and I looked at each other like WTF?? I get it! I mean, I really do, it’s not that I don’t get what the movie wanted to do but that doesn’t mean I have to like every choice it makes. I know what the implications of the ending means but it’s so abrupt that I was not expecting it to end, it seemed like there was so much more to be done. I did not like that at all.
Needed 20 More Minutes. This movie needed about 20 extra minutes and it’s only 95 minutes long! I mean what! That’s a mini-series! lol This could be fit into a good 7-episode mini-series on HBO or Netflix or something. I feel like it could have used the extra story to just give us a bit more with each character we’ve followed because once we move on from their part, we hardly ever see them again. Besides, I really think they should have done chapter titles or something to let us know we’re switching gears to a new perspective, similar to what Moonlight did which is a fantastic film.
Overall, Monsters and Men is a good movie with a very powerful story it wants to tackle, and I think it does do a good job in tackling different sides of similar and connected stories. The acting is very good from our three leads and the supporting characters as well. I get what they’re trying to do with how they story, and it works overall but I do think their choice of storytelling also prevents each story from getting the resolution it should get. Not to mention, the most interesting of the three just seems to be forgotten and I’m like “umm, well what happened with that character?” and it just moves on and it’s like… at least throw a line in there or something. I also did not like how abrupt the ending was. But considering how this movie is based on reality it’s worth the watch because it has a lot of strength and power behind it.
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars. 
Have you seen Monsters and Men? What did you think about it?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Thanks for reading!