Movie Review: Acrimony (2018)

January 12, 2019January 12, 2019 ~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

Black-Dress-Taraji-P.-Henson-in-Acrimony-2018-1

Summary: A faithful wife, tired of standing by her devious husband, is enraged when it becomes clear she has been betrayed.

There will be spoilers because I don’t care.

Pros:

Leading Characters. I don’t think any of these characters are that interesting apart from the two leads, nor do I think the acting is that great throughout the movie. I will give a shout out to Ajiona Alexus as Young Melinda, she is great with her facial expressions and you do sympathize with her.

Taraji is always a Win. Taraji P. Henson is a very good actress and I generally think she does a great job in her roles. I think with the writing she was given, she managed to elevate in certain places throughout the movie. The narration (while I didn’t like it) was humorous in some areas and you can tell that she was truly affected by what was going on with her. I think Taraji is very engaging to watch even when she’s playing crazy.
Lyriq Bent as Robert. It’s kind of weird but while the character was mostly crap, Lyriq is really good at this role. He’s this man who is down on his luck and he just keeps trying to make this battery thing work and you can tell he really wants it too, but he’s so narrow focused on his own problems that he doesn’t see what he’s doing to his wife.

The Idea of the Story. The whole woman scorned thing is okay, I mean we’ve seen it many times before and this isn’t anything different but the idea of watching this woman stand by her man for a long time and then finally let it go and the things he promised are given to someone else, all that’s fine. I wouldn’t mind it so much if the execution was good… I guess I’m getting ahead of myself.

Cons:

The Narration.I won’t say I hate narration but I HATE unnecessary narration. We first see them in court and then we see Melinda in therapy and she’s talking about her feelings. We then get to see her entire backstory with Robert and Taraji is narrating it while she’s telling her therapist. I usually dislike this setup because NOW we get to hear her tell us her feelings and thoughts instead of allowing us to live in the moment! THERE WAS TOO MUCH NARRATION! Gah it was so annoying. You want me to feel bad for her but you are literally telling me in the narration that she KNEW something was up! She kept saying “Con man!” because YES I know she’s telling it from her point of view, but dang Tyler Perry, trust your audience to get that from Ajiona Alexus’ acting. There’s a part where young Melinda sees Robert’s home and they have an intimate moment and we can CLEARLY SEE that he’s affecting her with his Nina Simone and his charisma, WE DIDN’T NEED THE NARRATION TO TELL US THAT! It was super annoying.

Over the top. Sometimes things being over the top is fine but it does not work in this movie. It’s ridiculous to be honest. They wanted me to feel bad for Melinda, which I did for a little while. It wasn’t until the crazy stuff later on that I was like “nope”. I mean, in the beginning when she was younger, she found out Robert was cheating and she literally ran her jeep into his mobile home until it tipped over. She busted her face, got internal bleeding and had to get her uterus removed. I mean… why? Why couldn’t it just have been her breaking an arm or leg, or hurt her neck? I mean jeez. Then later, after she gets the divorce, she decides she wants to sue him for half of everything once he gets his battery off the ground. Look, I get it, you were there the entire time he’s been failing and you feel like you should get something, I get it, but listen, you divorced him and he gave all the money you spent on him and more. I know it’s not necessarily all that you probably deserve but it wasn’t like he divorced you after he made it big ya know? Plus, I’m sure seeing him give everything he said he was going to give you to someone else had to be upsetting, I get it. Completely. But you stalk his fiancée on Facebook and leave threatening messages and then try and sue him. I mean what? lol it doesn’t make sense and I feel no sympathy anymore. If anything, I just feel bad for you and not in a good way. If the movie wanted that then great job but if they wanted me to feel for Melinda lol psht. Just ridiculous.

The Last Two Acts. I think the first act with the young versions and up until the divorce was fine. Painful but fine. When they get a divorce and she sees that he is now living the life he always said he wanted to live she loses it. Now, I don’t mind her being upset and the whole “woman scorned” thing but wow, the movie begins to take this break neck pace where it starts to get embarrassing and my friend kept rolling over because it was so painful to watch. It was like a car wreck. It went from this woman feeling betrayed to this “misery” thing and it was just… ugh ridiculous.

The Women. I don’t know what Tyler Perry’s issue is with black women, but literally all of the women in this movie are just out of their minds. Melinda of course has her issues that come full force later in the movie and I think it’s ridiculous that no one in her life addressed it beforehand. I know the black community has a hard time with mental health but still, considering the fact that Melinda knew her father had the same issue as her, it must have been mentioned. Why not more often by other people? They all seemed to know that she had this anger issue, so why hasn’t it ever been helped before? It’s a movie, she can go to therapy. Then her sisters were just stereotypes. Brenda was the one who just knew all the answers and was constantly putting Robert down and always always in Melinda’s business. I know she’s the oldest sister and she was protective but there are boundaries ma’am and you keep crossing them. The second sister, she was so timid… I guess? She was the other extreme to the oldest sister where she was always so mellow and tried to be the peace keeper but she always sided with Brenda. Then you have the lady that Robert ends up with and at first I was like okay, because she was like “I didn’t know about Melinda” when they were younger but she for some reason, started watching all of the videos he’d sent over the years (even though he was JUST issued a restraining order from the company) and you can clearly see her falling in love with him again and I’m like… girl lol, just because he’s brilliant doesn’t mean he’s not crazy. I just can’t. The only sane one was the friend.

Bad Acting. Outside of our leads the acting was horrible. I thought the friend was fine but the sisters, the other woman and the husbands were all just bad.

Overall, this movie is so bad I could barely finish it. I wanted to give up. I knew it was going to be bad but I hoped that it wouldn’t be so terrible since the two lead actors are good at their jobs, which they are. There’s nothing wrong with telling the story of a woman who wasted her life with someone who didn’t give her everything and more that she gave. I get it. I really do. Anyone who can relate, sure, but there’s a line between you feeling like you are owed and then just going crazy. It’s just so over the top that it’s not even good or interesting storytelling. It makes the main character who we’re supposed to sympathize with look bad and as the audience, I no longer care. The acting is bad minus, the women in this movie are stereotypes and terrible. The last two acts of the film are rushed and full of bad writing. I just can’t. I’m done with this movie lol.

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars.

Have you seen Acrimony? What did you think of it? Let me know your thoughts on the movie down in the comments below. If you liked it, tell me, I’m curious.

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Best Movies of 2018

January 8, 2019 ~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

Another list that I am SUPER late with but here it is! I didn’t see a ton of movies this year as I wanted to but listed here are the ones I thought stood out the most that I saw.

Honorable Mentions: Ready Player One, Crazy Rich Asians, Annihilation, Ant-Man and the Wasp

10. Bumblebee

I haven’t reviewed this yet and I don’t know if I will, but I thought this was very good. I was surprised. I don’t care for any of the Transformers movies. I think I’ve only see the first two, but I really enjoyed the adventure, but I was also really into the friendship (also seemed a little romantic lol) that bloomed between Charlie and Bumblebee which was shocking to me. I also very much enjoyed the action. Yes, be shocked people lol.

9. Love, Simon

I very much enjoyed this movie. I even teared up at the end. Nick Robinson did a very good job in this role. Simon is so likable, and you root for him throughout the movie. Unlike the book where I hated some characters, I generally liked everyone (all the main characters) in the movie. It’s a nice teen, coming of age movie for those who may be in the same struggle as Simon.

8. Sorry to Bother You

I haven’t reviewed this yet and I do plan on it, but this movie is bonkers. I mean, I really liked it. I think it’s one of those you either “love it” or you “hate it” because it’s weird. I get the message, I like the quirkiness of it and I thought it was handled in a very original way. Great movie experience.

7. The Incredibles 2

Something we’ve been waiting for for years! I don’t think it’s better than the first one but it’s a nice follow up. I loved seeing the Parr family again and I loved seeing Elastigirl really use her powers because she’s awesome. The story is interesting, the characters are STILL likable, and the action and adventure aspect is so much fun!

6. Avengers: Infinity War

I haven’t seen it again in a while, but this movie really kicked me in the stomach. It was great seeing 10 years of MCU movies come to a head in this film. I think the direction was handled well since there were so many characters in this film to juggle. I thought it could have been a mess, but it wasn’t. I do think there was some issues which doesn’t put it in the Top 5 of my MCU movies (at least right now it doesn’t) but it’s Sooooo worth it.

5. Mission Impossible: Fallout

This movie is dope! I love the Mission Impossible movies and Ethan Hunt is awesome! Shoot, the Avengers need to let him help them take down Thanos lol. It’s because of these movies that I know spy movies don’t necessarily HAVE to be convoluted. Fallout is so much fun, you get to see Tom Cruise RUN LIKE A CHAMP! Plus, Henry Cavill was also great in it and we got to see the best moment ever.

4. A Quiet Place

Anyone who knows me knows I don’t like horror films. I know that “horror” is a wide genre so there are smaller umbrellas of horror I would enjoy (like I want to see Happy Death Day 2 U) and this was one of those I really wanted to see. I would consider it more of a thriller than anything but it’s one of those movies where you MUST watch since it’s so quiet. It forces you to be quiet and pay attention. I think all the acting is very good and the use of sound and music in the film is top notch. Great directorial debut by John Kransinski and of course Emily Blunt is always a win.

3. The Hate U Give

Based on the bestselling novel of the same name. It is a great book adaptation and I think the movie was well done. The acting, the story and the passion behind it was all handled very well and it shows. Sure, it’s a little different from the book but it’s still very good. Amandla Stenberg was great and powerful as Starr Carter and the story hits so close to what has been happening with black people and police. Very relevant.

2. Black Panther

I mean what can I say? It’s Black Panther. I argued for a while if this will be my number one movie and I settled with it here. It is such a win for black superheroes, for black nerds, for black people and for people in general. The story may be familiar, but I think you can tell there was love behind it. I mean, the costumes, the musical score, it’s funny and it has a lot of emotional moments that are totally earned. Plus, my husband is in it and he killed that villain role! Everyone in this movie DID that.

1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Listen, if you have not seen this movie and you’re a Spider-man fan then what is wrong with you? This is THE BEST Spider-Man movie (fight me) and I’m so glad that Miles Morales is at the helm in this. I love Peter Parker, I have and always will love Peter Parker but this movie having Miles as the lead was a smart move because it follows the message of the movie… anyone can be behind the mask if you let go. The animation is beautiful, the music is used well in the film, the action is so good, the characters are ALL interesting, I mean there are a lot of characters and they all get their time to shine. Miles is a fully realized character and if you don’t know much about him going into the movie, then I reckon you’ll love him by the end. This was such a great movie experience and I recommend for any Spider-Man fan to go out and watch this one.

So what are your thoughts on my list? Remember, this is my opinion so if you disagree, please tell me what your list is in the comments below!

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Worst Movies of 2018

January 5, 2019January 5, 2019 ~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

Soooo I am super late than usual with this list but I wanted to make sure I shared what I thought were some of the worst movies of 2018. Unlike 2017, I did not see a ton of movies this year. It’s been an interesting year as I have been working on graduating from my master’s program (Which I did whoooo!) but I realized I saw enough movies to make this list. I saw a few more that I wanted to add even after the year ended.

There are plenty of movies I didn’t see that I heard weren’t very good but I can’t pass judgment because I didn’t see them.

Dishonorable Mentions:The Commuter, Teen Titans Go To the Movies, Father Figures, A Wrinkle in Time, I Feel Pretty, Solo: A Star Wars Story

10. The Darkest Minds

Another unfortunate mistake of a movie that should have been a television show. This movie is so dull and uninteresting and I think such a missed opportunity. I already have ranted enough about it so you can just read the review to see why. I don’t think it’s the worst on the list, it’s just boring.

9. Red Sparrow

This movie was a slog. I don’t think it’s the worst thing ever but it’s a slog. It’s so long and for no reason. I don’ know why spy movies feel the need to be so convoluted. I have no idea what the book is like but the movie felt like it was just something to see Jennifer Lawrence try her hand at. I’m not an accent expert but her Russian accent wasn’t that great, I wasn’t that invested in her character and the movie is overall cringy. I understood what was going on, I even completely guessed the ending because it is what I would have done but boy it took a long time getting there. sighs

8. Pacific Rim: Uprising

I thoroughly enjoyed the first one. It’s not a masterpiece but it was fun to watch and enjoyable. So, my question is, why do they keep making sequels to these blockbusters where the main character (or one of them) is the kid of the hero of the first film and they’re this huge tool? I mean, John Boyega is likable but his character is kind of lame in this film. He’s not that funny or charismatic (which is sad because I think John Boyega is both of those things naturally). The story… lol what story? Doesn’t really kick in until the end otherwise it’s a bunch of people talking. It’s also pretty boring until the end and that’s a shame.

7. Proud Mary

I had to see this twice and I was bored out of my mind both times. I was actually on my phone most of the second time I saw it and kind of fell asleep. I like Taraji, I think she’s a good actress and it was cool seeing her kick butt and she’s great with emotional acting and I loved the stuff with Mary and Danny. BUUUT the movie is boring and all over the place, it’s underwhelming, the side characters are stupid, the action was lame outside of a few pieces and I wanted to like it but I can’t, Taraji can’t even make me like the movie.

6. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Another boring, dull mess. It wanted to be tension filled and interesting but it focuses on stuff that I cannot imagine anyone caring about when the movie should have stuck with the idea of wanting to either save or kill the dinosaurs. The entire second act of the film is just so out of place and all of the characters are stupid. ALL OF THEM. I mean, the ending alone is just ridiculous.

5. Fifty Shades Freed

I actually forgot this came out this year lol, but it’s bad. It’s better than Darker whichis just the worst, but it’s still so bad. Again, all of these characters are just so stupid and nothing makes sense. I still need to know why Ana was promoted to that job when she was just an assistant and barely had qualifications. I wish it worked that way. The whole thing with Jack Hyde was lame, you’re mad over something Christian had no control over? Also, you didn’t know he didn’t want to have kids until AFTER you married him? Aren’t all three of the movies taking place within like a year? Pfft. So dumb. Her wedding dress was beautiful though.

4. Acrimony

I haven’t reviewed it yet and I definitely will but anyone who really knows me knows I do not know like Tyler Perry and do not care for his movies. There are a few here and there I like but most of the time, meh. So, I only wanted to see this because of Taraji P. Henson and even she could not save this movie from terrible writing, terrible pacing and what is clearly a rush job. That’s all I got for this bit, you’ll see what I completely think in the review.

3. Show Dogs

Still can’t believe I watched this. I thought it was something else but alas. Y’all it’s stupid. It’s a kids movie but I can’t imagine a kid actually sitting through this unless they like to see talking dogs. So so bad.

2. Samson

Oh boy. I like this bible story and I love the adaptation with Hedy Lamarr. The acting is poor, the wigs and beards given in the third act of the film are terrible, the entire Samson and Delilah storyline was glazed over. I guess in the end it was about Samson but he wasn’t interesting, he’s a jerk but wasn’t an interesting jerk. Taylor James didn’t have any of the charisma that Samson seemed to have considering how he got away with a LOT. The stuff with the Prince and the King was just so hammy. I laughed a lot when I wasn’t supposed to.

1. The 15: 17 to Paris

WHAT EVEN IS THIS MOVIE??? Y’all this movie is so bad it’s laughable. The first mistake was taking this 5-minute incident and turning it into a feature length. Second mistake, casting the real guys to play themselves, they are not actors and it shows. The dialogue is bad, the acting is bad and I just cannot. It’s a nice idea to honor the guys who did a great thing but not this movie. Not at all.

What movies from 2018 were on YOUR list for being the worst? Let me know in the comments below!

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Movie Review: Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018)

January 5, 2019 ~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

Summary: A human child raised by wolves must face off against a menacing tiger named Shere Khan, as well as his own origins.

Pros:

Cast and Characters. The voice over cast is extremely good. I didn’t know who was in the movie before I watched it so I wasn’t really placing anyone. I then noticed Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Benedict Cumberbatch were in the movie and then I figured out who they were lol.

Rohan Chand as Mowgli. First of all, this kid is adorable. Extremely. I thought he did very well in the movie. There were a few times where it wasn’t coming through exactly like in the emotional moments but overall, I thought he managed to push through it. I like the moments where he’s quiet and he’s just watching because he has very expressive eyes. Some of my favorite moments was when he just got into the man village and he was learning everything, the camera would just watch him as he watched and learned and it was really beautiful. I also thought he did very well with reacting to the animals around him, showing his fear, his anger and the emotional bits. As I said, it didn’t always hit but I thought he did very well. He was very sympathetic.
Christian Bale as Bagheera. He is a black panther who finds Mowgli after his family was killed and takes him to the wolves. He becomes one of Mowgli’s mentors and friends. We also learn from him that he was born in human custody. Bagheera is kind and caring and while he believes in Mowgli, he’s also worried about him when it comes to living in the jungle with Shere Khan on the loose. Bagheera often makes choices that would protect Mowgli even if it seems harsh at the time. I knew I recognized his voice when I first started watching the movie, I think Christian Bale is great at voice overs (Howl’s Moving Castle anyone?) and his voice is so soft with honey like tones in the movie that it really works. There’s a great scene where Mowgli and Bagheera are talking about Bagheera’s history and it was a moving scene.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Shere Khan. He is a crippled Bengal tiger and Mowgli’s arch-enemy. He’s ruthless and will do anything to get what he wants. I think with him being crippled (his front right paw is like bent back so he can’t walk on the pad of his paw). Benedict Cumbersnatch is good at voice acting, he’s played many a villain in motion capture. I thought the voice he put on for the character was sinister.

Supporting Characters. There are a lot of side characters, some whose names I didn’t retain but there are a few who might not constantly be in the film but they have important roles.

Cate Blanchett as Kaa. She is a python and a seer. She is the main narrator of the film and it seems that she is on Mowgli’s side. We see her mainly twice, once where she saves Mowgli and then another time when he goes to her and she shows him some important information. I guess she could be a “mentor” but she’s not around enough for me to really say that. Cate Blanchett is always a win and her voice is amazing as always.
Andy Serkis as Baloo. He’s not the Baloo we know from the Disney movies, but a grisly, drill sergeant teacher. His face has a lot of scars showing his life, which was cool, but he looked a little odd. We did get to see him fight a few times which was cool. I don’t think he and Mowgli had a relationship that rivaled what we’ve seen before but the role he played, where he encouraged Mowgli to be at his best. One of my favorite parts was during the Running and he freaked out on Bagheera because of what he did. Andy Serkis is always great in motion capture and he’s great here too.

Dark and Gritty. I’ve never read the book, it’s on my list and I don’t know the tone of the story but this is very different from the Disney versions which director Andy Serkis made clear. For one thing, Baloo is this grisly mentor instead of a happy-go-lucky friend. Also, with the hunter and how Mowgli ends up deciding between the village and the jungle that was pretty intense. The monkey scene as well, there isn’t a King Louis but the monkeys end up knocking him out while dragging him to their hideout, and Shere Khan leaves this giant scar down Mowgli’s arm… I mean it’s also a little bloody. I quite enjoyed it though. I also think there was a little more at stake here in that Shere Khan was doing things that would break jungle law. The Hunter storyline in general and what we learn about Bagheera.

Bagheera and Mowgli. I didn’t want to compare this to Disney’s The Jungle Book (2015) but in this case I kind of have too. In both Disney versions, one of the biggest praises is the friendship that Mowgli has with both Bagheera and Baloo. Obviously, they are on two different levels with Baloo being the fun-loving friend and Bagheera being the protective one, but this movie does it a little differently. Baloo and Mowgli aren’t really friends at all, but he and Bagheera are and I thought the relationship they had was beautiful. Bagheera truly cared about him and did everything he could to protect him even if it came off in the wrong way. The scene by the cage, that is one of my favorite scenes.

The Man-Village. This might be a little spoilery, but meh lol. I really enjoyed the scenes in the man village. Mowgli wakes up in a cage and just watches everything around him and we see how some of the people react to him as he is a little jungle baby. Then when we finally see him out and about in the village, there’s a great scene between him and Frida Pinto as she washes him and teaches him the ways of the village. There’s not a lot of dialogue that goes on while he’s there, mostly because he doesn’t understand their language (though I wonder since he understands the animals, can other humans understand them or how that works. I mean, it’s fine but I’m curious). Then they have a Festival of Colors and I want to go so bad lol, but it was great and to see him fall into it and enjoy himself. It was great. I really liked all of that stuff.

Cons:

Shere Khan’s Motives. I guess he doesn’t really need any but I’ve always thought the idea of him killing humans just to kill them was lame. I mean, sure, it’s a villain move, but he’s so hellbent on getting Mowgli because he missed him the first time without an actual cause? It doesn’t make for a very interesting villain personally. He keeps doing things that breaks the law of the jungle… but why? He didn’t necessarily need to say why, but it would have been nice to discover that.

A Little Too Dark. There were a lot of times in the movie where I couldn’t see what was going on. I shouldn’t have to adjust my TV’s brightness for the movie to be seen. It was really annoying a few times so I just had to shrug it off.

Weird CGI. I don’t think all of the animals looked that great. It was cool that they had scars and battle wounds ya know, they’ve lived in the jungle but some of them looked scary and not in a good way. I think particularly the wolves and Baloo didn’t look great.

Rushed In the Last Act. I prefer the first half definitely because I thought it was pretty well paced but the last half flew through the story. I liked the stuff in the village, especially when he was in the cage, but once he finds that stuff with Lockwood, it just goes so fast that it feels so different from the first half. His standoff with Shere Khan was so quick I was like… meh.

Overall, I quite enjoyed Mowgli: Legend of the Jungleand I tried not to compare it to Disney’s version in 2015 and yes, it’s very different. I thought most of the characters were interesting, particularly Mowgli, Shere Khan and Bagheera. All of the motion capture and voice over acting was handled really well and I thought Christian Bale really portrayed the character of Bagheera in an interesting, compelling and sympathetic way. I will also give Rohan Chand his props for playing Mowgli. This is his first leading role and I thought he handled himself really well, he’s really great to watch. I enjoyed the dark and gritty tone in that it felt like there were actual things at stake, the hunter storyline, the kind of frightening images and of course the monkey stuff lol. I also really loved the storyline between Bagheera and Mowgli, they seemed a lot closer in this version and it allowed them to have a different kind of relationship that was really emotional. The man village scene was beautiful, without the dialogue it really helps just watch Mowgli grow immersed. Now, I did have a problem with how dark the movie looked in that I couldn’t tell what was going on. The CGI wasn’t always the best. The last act was extremely rushed after what I thought was nice pacing in the first two acts. Also, Shere Khan’s motives were kind of meh. I get it but meh. But it’s worth the watch if you love The Jungle Book.

Rating: 3.59 out of 5 stars.

Have you seen Netflix’s Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle? If not, you should check it out, it’s worth the watch especially if you love The Jungle Book. If you have seen it, let me know your thoughts down below and let’s discuss!

Thanks for reading and be sure to like and follow this blog for more movie reviews!

How I Would Fix: The Darkest Minds

December 29, 2018December 29, 2018 ~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

How I would FIX The Darkest Minds.

I had a lot of thoughts over the last few days of how I would fix this movie. I think it’s an unfortunate incident and while I have not read the books, I have a few ideas of how I would fix it to make it better just from a film standpoint. I’m sure once I read the books, I’ll have more insight but I will take what I gleamed from the movie.

First of all, I would make it a television show on Netflix. I weighed my options of other channels and I considered Freeform, since they did so well with Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger and Siren is apparently doing well. I also considered the CW because of The 100 and the other shows that have abilities on them. However, I think Netflix would be the best option as they are doing really well with their movies and their YA adaptations.

Casting

I don’t know what the characters look like in the books, so I don’t know if Ruby is black, I doubt it honestly, but I think it was cool to have a YA sci-fi film where the lead was a person of color, so I think it would be imperative to maintain that in the show. So, I would recast Lidya Jewett as young Ruby and bring in a darker-skinned actress to play teenage Ruby. As for the other characters, they can keep Miya Cech and Skylan Brooks as Zu and Chubs because they were fine and don’t seem to be doing anything at the moment film wise. At least nothing serious. As for Liam, well I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard to find a blue eyed, tall and cute guy.

Episode Set Up

So, I think a big mistake in the film was how quickly it had to brush past the whole kids dying thing to get to teenage Ruby. No matter how quick it was in the book, if it was a TV show, we could spend the first episode getting to know Ruby as a kid and her family so later when she finally returns to them, we feel something for her. Anyway, a nice introduction to the Daly family and then at the end of the first episode, show the first outbreak of the disease by showing that Grace kid die. Boom. Interesting set up.

Next episode, we learn (without narration) about this mysterious disease and we physically see kids, Ruby’s classmates and friends, dying. We should be able to see what this is doing to their parents, to the kids who are surviving. Plus, the fear that Ruby’s parents would have about their own child. I’m not sure, but if all the kids get sick but the ones who don’t die gain powers, then perhaps we should see Ruby get sick and her parents worry for her and then at the end, she gets better. Moving forward, I feel like the first three episodes in a 13-22-episode show should focus on young Ruby for us to see her go to the camps, feel bad for her since her parents turned her in (because reasons) and how she made her strategy to survive. If it’s 13 episodes then obviously maybe leave young Ruby to three episodes and in the fourth time jump to teenage Ruby but if it was longer then take a bit more time.

When she meets Liam, Chubs and Zu, we should see them as a unit and how they work well together and allow us to care about them as we continue to see them.

I would keep Lady Jane around for a little while as well.

Romance and Relationships

In the movie they wanted us to care about Ruby and Liam falling for each other and to care later when she uses her ability to erase herself from his mind, but I didn’t care because I didn’t get the chance to care since it’s forced into my face without real reasons other than their teenagers and teenage love, I guess lol.

In the show, when Ruby joins them, there is a mysterious air about her which Liam would be interested in and she would be drawn to his good looks, passion and leadership skills lol but we would see them work together, survive together, get to know each other which would give the audience the chance to root for them and then later feel sad when she makes her decision at the end of the first season. It was also clear that Zu was pretty close to Liam and later they tried to make it like she was close with Ruby, but in the show, we would see and believe that. She had an older sister which is why she would connect with Ruby, so we’d learn about what she lost and why she gets so attached.

Plus, I would spend an entire episode showcasing Chubs, Liam and Zu’s backgrounds and how they escaped their camp.

Later, when we officially meet Clancy Gray, he’s enigmatic and he’s the only other person who understands Ruby. It happens so fast in the movie that I’m shocked Ruby didn’t pick up on his weirdness quicker. I would have. In the show, we would have time to see this little utopia he made and how quickly the others get ingrained. Liam on the front lines, Zu with the other young kids and Chubs was not into it and I would like to see his distrust grow. As for Ruby, she and Clancy would spend a lot of time together learning her powers where his interest in her makes sense then just his weird looks. He got obsessed and if we got to see them spend a lot of time together, actually, then the audience would be like “Word”.

Action and Climax

The movie was very anticlimactic but the action was handled pretty well. I wish we got to see more of the abilities showcased since it’s such a big part of the story. I would definitely keep their eyes reflecting their abilities, that was cool. The chase scene was pretty dope so definitely have to keep that in the show. The fight at the end between Ruby and Clancy was kind of meh and I think it would have been much more. Not to mention, as I kind of ranted about in my review, Liam’s telekinetic ability should have been showcased way more, with different ways to use it other than to just move things. We saw him destroy a road and bring forth a ton of trees, but we didn’t really see him do anything like that again. He should have been able to create force fields, even if they weren’t large, or move people. We saw that it could happen but Liam never really did it. He should have been able to fly, I mean sheesh lol.

Not to mention, why weren’t any of the other kids fighting? Sure, some of them got under mind control but I would have been fighting if I had the abilities they had. Plus, the Greens with their high intelligence could have been doing more than just… talking lol.

Villains

In the movie, we have three villains. Lady Jane, a bounty hunter who definitely has it out for Liam it seemed. The government. Clancy Grey. The league which was a little ambiguous. The first season could be heavily focused on the first book, which is cool, but I think it would be okay, to split the first book into a season and a half at least. Sooo, I wouldn’t introduce Clancy as a villain until the second season. His name would be around as it was in the movie since he was “cured” and his father was some big shot but the Slip Kid would be a mysterious figure until we meet him. So, Lady Jane would be the main villain as she was an awesome bounty hunter and I think the movie did nothing with her and she was interesting. She said she caught Liam before and now he had an even bigger price on his head, I would have let her catch them and keep them for at least an episode or two just to make it interesting.

The government has its part in the beginning and would remain a threat throughout since they’re looking for Ruby. Then you have the League, who we don’t know if we can trust as a looming threat with Cate and Rob. I think it would be interesting because you never know who might show up while our Runaways are just trying to make it to the Utopia.

Finale

Ideally the first season could end with the first book so the second book could be the second season. Being that this would be on Netflix there wouldn’t be a midseason finale, so the first season could end with Ruby being with the League and doing the whole hand paint thing or whatever. BUUUT if it’s 13 episodes, I would actually end the first season with the Runaways getting to the Utopia and feeling like they finally made it. So that way, the main villain of Clancy would be revealed in the second season. Perhaps after they escape Lady Jane, maybe the government is closing in and they give them the slip and at the skin of their teeth, they find the entrance to Utopia. They would think they have to fight since the Slip Kid’s sentries are standing watch but then they recognize Liam and they take them into the hideout and see all the kids and end the season with them being all like

Play triumphant music and everything. It would be a nice ending for a shit show that will start in season two. I think it would be awesome.

In the End

If The Darkest Minds was a television show, I think it would have allowed for the story to be told the way it should be. As I said before, I’ll probably get a bit more insight once I read the trilogy but it’s very rare that I watch a movie based on a trilogy and think of how I would fix it without really knowing the full story. I had so many thoughts after this one that even without that extra knowledge, I believe it could be done.

I think it should have another chance, but as a Netflix Original.

What do you think of this plan? Let me know your thoughts!

What other YA novels should have a television show? What YA movies should have been television shows?

Thanks for reading and be sure to like and follow this blog for more posts like this!

Movie Review: The Darkest Minds (2018)

December 27, 2018December 27, 2018 ~ Alyxwrites ~ 1 Comment

Summary: Imprisoned by an adult world that now fears everyone under 18, a group of teens form a resistance group to fight back and reclaim control of their future.

Pros:

Pretty Good Acting. I like Amandla Stenberg. I don’t think there has ever been a movie that I didn’t like her in. The movie might not have been great, but I usually always enjoy her. I think she had an interesting character in this movie in that Ruby has some baggage and trauma that she deals with, not to mention being afraid of her abilities. It’s something we’ve seen before but it’s still interesting because we don’t know the extent her powers and nor does she. Amandla manages to show all of that. I do acknowledge that she makes some funny faces but that’s just her face lol and it doesn’t bother me, nor do I count it against her. Harris Dickinson as Liam was also pretty good, he’s a leader in their runaway group and it’s clear he really cares about those in his group. He’s very passionate and it shows. I also enjoyed Skylan Brooks as Chubs, and while she didn’t have any dialogue Miya Cech as Zu was also cute.

Character Skeletons. I didn’t want to go through each character and actor like I normally do because I don’t think the characters are that interesting overall, but we got some interesting character skeletons. Even with Ruby being the main character, she wasn’t fleshed out enough for me to care about her, BUT I thought there was enough setup for interesting characters. I liked that each one of our runaways had a different ability and that they viewed themselves like a family. The villain was also interesting, but he was so random that it didn’t work overall.

The Story. I haven’t read the book, so I am not going to be comparing this at all. I did read the first two or three chapters and it was interesting. The idea is that 98% of the children die in the US leaving the survivors with abilities. The government wants to cure them, so they put them into these camps. Their abilities are rated on a color scale from harmless to lethal.

Green- High Intelligence

Blue- Telekinesis

Yellow- Electrokinesis

Red- Unknown (I mean I know but it’s kind of cool to find out)

Orange- Mind Control etc.

That’s all cool and stuff and I would like to know just how they planned on curing these kids or if they would rather use them as weapons. Plus, there are three books so I’m sure they planned on making two more movies, which I would have been interested in watching but ya know it did terribly, so I doubt it. Anyways, the fact that Ruby managed to survive in the camps pretending to be a green was interesting and I would have liked to know just how she managed to survive for so long. Not to mention, when she met up with Liam, Chubs and Zu, they escaped from the camp they were in and were on the run, but what next at the end ya know? I thought there was the makings of a cool and immersive story.

Cons:

Dull and Boring. Ya’ll this movie is so dull. Nothing happens. I mean, stuff happens but nothing happens, and it was very anticlimactic. I really wanted the end to be more interesting than it was because you have all these kids with powers in one place and none of them thought to use their powers to help?? I mean, listen, if I had telekinesis (which is the power I always choose) then I would be fighting. Besides, I can’t imagine anyone not catching on to that “twist” at the end. Also the little dust thing where Ruby is like disappearing or whatever you always see… so disappointed in that lol. I get it but BOO. Disappointed.

Use of Abilities. A big missed opportunity was how the powers were used. I think it makes sense that Ruby’s powers were a bit of mystery because she didn’t really know how to use them herself so that’s fine. However, the others should have had some better use of their powers. For one, I feel like the Greens having high intelligence is just so passive in the world where the others aren’t. I felt like they should be able to control or connect with technology, be technopaths or something like that. We see Zu use her powers maybe three times and each time she had to touch wires or something, which is cool to give it limitations but is that it? Is that why she always had to wear the rubber gloves? As for the telekinesis which can also be called “Psychokinesis” is a powerful power which is why I was so shocked it was considered “less dangerous” considering how they can not only move things with their mind, they can move people, create force fields, I guess depending on the limitations of that power. Missed opportunity because Liam was already considered a powerful “blue”, but that power is powerful in general. I just wish we got to see more of the powers used overall in more than just the usual ways.

Unfocused. It was allllll over the place. Sure, it had a through line, the kids had somewhere they wanted to go and Ruby ultimately wanted to go home but being that it’s a dystopian ya film, it kind of has the same tropes that all the others have (The Hunger Games, Divergent, The 5th Wave), and they wanted us to be interested in so much that they didn’t flesh out the stuff that really mattered. Why didn’t we get the chance to really know just how close Liam, Chubs and Zu were? They told us they were, they said it, but other than the fact that they seemed stuck with each other, we didn’t really get to know them as a unit. Then there’s the stuff with Mandy Moore’s character and that was just here and there. THEN the stuff with Gwendolyn Christie who seemed like an interesting character but that was just brushed aside. It was all over the place ya’ll.

Romance Aspect. Listen, I don’t have a problem with romance in movies, but sometimes it’s hard to accept that people are falling in love while the world is ending, or their lives are in danger. I can’t say it’s unrealistic because ya know teenagers, but it’s so ridiculous sometimes. There’s a part where Zu insists Ruby put on this red dress, and she does, and she walks around in this fancy red dress… why? So random. She and Liam also clearly are going to be interested in each other, sure, but how long were they together? They don’t really know each other and they’re just like making decisions about each other and I’m like ‘but Ya’ll don’t know each other’ not to mention, something happens with another person at the end, and while I get it to an extent, YOU ALSO DON’T KNOW THIS GIRL!

So Many Questions. I was interested, and I think I’ll read the books now because I feel like the movie didn’t do the justice it probably deserved. We’ll see. But I had a lot of questions. For example, where did the disease come from? Why is it only kids that are affected? What happens to the survivors with the abilities once they are no longer kids? Will they maintain these powers or lose them? If that’s the case, why not allow them to live their lives (maybe keep a close eye on those Reds and Oranges) until they’re 18 or whatever? How did Ruby managed to stay hidden for so long? Did she just mind control people who got suspicious of her? Why didn’t the government conduct the “white noise” procedure often? They seemed to only do it a few times but if it was me, I would do it at the end of the year or every six months or so just in case someone slipped through defenses. Is the eletrokinesis only if they touched things that held a current, or could it be from the body directly? What about the telekinesis… since that’s kinetic energy, they should be able to do a lot more than what was continuously showcased. What about the Greens? They only have high intelligence? Why not use them instead of making them do stupid grunt work? ALSO, what happened to Lady Jane??? lol so many questions and the movie wasn’t doing a good job at answering any of them.

Overall, The Darkest Minds was a mess and I feel bad for it to be honest. I feel like there was some good stuff there but being in a movie format didn’t help the movie at all. Adding this one to the YA books that should have been a TV show. The acting overall is good, I don’t think anyone was bad and Amandla I think is always likable no matter what she does. The characters had an interesting base and I think the story is good but needed some flesh and extra life but unfortunately it was dull and boring. It was unfocused, focused way too much on the romance aspect when it should have focused more on the Runaways family aspect, their powers and Ruby’s internal struggles. There was also a ton of missed opportunities with their powers. Lastly, so many questions that weren’t the good kind. Listen, if it comes on TV check it out, but otherwise, I wouldn’t worry about it.

SIDE NOTE: That little girl they chose to play a young Ruby, not only looked NOTHING like Amandla, she was a completely different complexion. Sure, kids grow up and get a little darker or a little lighter, but I think that was a missed opportunity to cast a dark-skinned actress as Ruby. That was annoying.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars.

Have you seen The Darkest Minds? If so, what were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below! I would love to hear from those who have seen the movie and perhaps also read the book! No spoilers though!

Thanks for reading and be sure to follow and like this blog for more movie reviews.

Movie Review: Samson (2018)

December 25, 2018 ~ Alyxwrites ~ 1 Comment

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This will be a short review.

Summary: After losing the love of his life to a cruel Philistine prince, a young Hebrew with Supernatural strength defends his people, sacrificing everything to avenge his love, his people, and his God.

Pros:

The Story. This is based on the Bible story of Samson, the man with all the strength. You have this man who is destined for greatness but he’s not very good at destiny nor does he want to do what is expected of him. That’s interesting and regardless of if you believe the story is true or not, it’s still interesting. Plus, everyone comes for the Delilah part and that was interesting but I think they could have done more with that.

Gaining Strength. I liked that any time Samson had to use his strength, he would kneel and touch the ground and the ground would shake and you could see the rocks move. I thought that was really cool.

Cons:

Samson and Delilah. The biggest thing people come for is the relationship between these two. I always think of the old version with Hedy Lamarr and how they really played up the relationship but, in this film, they tried but it wasn’t interesting and I don’t believe that she cared for him at all. I didn’t think it was any kind of confusion for her like they tried to make it seem.

Annoying Characters. They’re all annoying and stupid. Samson has a brother who is super annoying, I get him and his reasons but he’s annoying. Samson is annoying, his people are annoying. The king and the prince are both annoying. The only person who isn’t really annoying was Delilah but she wasn’t in it enough for me to care about her. Also, Billy Zane and Jackson Rathbone were just hamming it up and seemed to have such fun but wow, so bad. lol

The Costumes. Listen, I try not to compare adaptations because they’re adaptations but it’s hard to ignore the fact that the version with Hedy Lamarr had such GREAT COSTUMES. I mean look at her peacock outfit! All of the clothes in this movie were bland and not to mention, the wigs were horrible and the beards they added to Samson and his brother were even worse in the end.

Overall, listen lol, this movie isn’t good. There were parts of it I enjoyed because it’s a story I enjoy but the movie isn’t good. The story is interesting and I liked the indication of how Samson’s strength would come about but that’s about it. I don’t think the film looked that great, it was very stylized when it should have looked authentic or at least provide an ambiance that would make me believe I am actually watching a movie from the Bible. Ya know? All of the characters are annoying, they have stupid arguments, and stupid reasonings and it was just stupid. I also don’t think the whole Samson and Delilah part was handled well because I did not believe they cared about each other, nor did I believe she felt any kind of remorse even though they tried to make it seem like she did. I laughed a few times through the movie because it was ridiculous.

Rating: 1.9 out of 5 stars.

Did you see this movie? Did you even know it existed? No? Lol don’t feel bad. I mean, if you see let me know your thoughts. I would be very interested to hear them.

Thanks for reading and be sure to like and follow this blog for more reviews!