[Review] Michael (7/10)

 

The one that surprised me the most was the young actor that played a juvenile Michael, Juliano Valdi. To portray the emotion and psyche of a young Michael in order to convey to us who young Michael was, I thought he did such a brilliant job.

Jaafar Jackson had the moves and the voice down. The look, however, never once made me go, "Oh! That really looked like a vivid shadow of Michael Jackson himself." Which wasn't that much of an issue, to be honest.

Colman Domingo really portrayed the villain role so perfectly for this movie. Even though I wished the character had more depth into what drove his actions. And I also wished there were more to the other Jackson 5 members, other than being seen as supportive and friendly; which we all know that was not the case at all.

I definitely wished there was more drama, if not that then more of what inspired Michael to write the songs he wrote for the Thriller album. We only got one song's origin story here and that was very, very disappointing.

The making of Thriller, though, to see it in this fashion and to immediately reminsced about the impact that song had on the world, got me teary eyed.

What was Miles Teller doing here though? It was bad enough to get a character that barely had anything to do in the movie, it's worse to get a Miles Teller that didn't care for the role, too. Mike Myers popped though.

[Review] Mudbound (4.5/10)

 

I can't get behind this type of storytelling. Dragging on a scene, posing the character, just to create and prolong a sense of suspense. Unnecessarily extending the runtime while having two important side characters that were very one-dimensional.

The jump scares were useless as usual, most of the time adding nothing to the plot. I didn't think Yang Yo was very good in this. And Derek Chang's character was a bit too posey.

Finally, that stinger at the end, it's as if there was no funeral? How do you miss the body?

[Review] Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice (7/10)

 

As an action comedy, this worked.

The action was just alright. The comedy and chemistry between the characters were what really entertained. The actors all gave it their best. Vince Vaughn hasn't acted this good in a while. 

It's silly fun and I'm all for it. I would watch the sequel.

I'm not sure that the use of that distorted slow-mo sequences were necessary. It was quite distracting and took up the running time.

BenDavid Grabinski did a nod to John Woo's Hard Boiled where pistols were hidden all around the shootout venue, like a pistol in the flower pot. But the execution here was sorely lacking in vision.

[Review] The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (3/10)

 

This is following in the footsteps of the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Good first movie, and a super dumbed down sequel.

If you just watched this movie with no sound, it's no different. Because there wasn't a need for expositions. All resolution to all subplots had no logic. It's as if in creating the visual spectacle, the ran out of money so they couldn't afford the writers to write proper dialogue. What's the point of paying actors like Brie Larson and Donald Glover? 

Even worse was, when Mario and Luigi spoke, they clearly sounded they had zero integration when recording. Their roles were so watered down that they didn't even need to speak. 

This is a super terrible movie that is currently making so much money.

[Review] They Will Kill You (7/10)

 

I caught myself smiling with glee all throughout the first act. The setup was so great, and that first action sequence was so well choreographed that I wished it was more of a one take kind of design. I completely believed Zazie Beetz's character knew how to use a samurai sword.

The second fight sequence where she used a fire hammer was much less convincing. And also here we found out more of her background, and that samurai sword was also much less convincing. But the fun never ceased, at least.

And in the end, the final fight was more of going through the motions than entertainment. But I would welcome a sequel.

[Review] Project Hail Mary (7/10)

 

I think Ryan Gosling has too much charisma for this role, not to mention too good looking, too. He's supposed to be shunned by his peers so his charisma did not track. 

The movie was way too long. There were a few scenes in the second act that could have been shorter, especially with the first contact with the alien. Maybe Phil Lord and Christopher Miller wanted to stay true to the book, which I didn't read so I don't know what I'm talking about. But I was thinking if those scenes were cut shorter I don't think we would have missed anything. 

I'm not sure Sandra Huller's acting here was the right choice. In the first part where she was just a cold operative on a mission, I liked it. But in the second act where she showed more of her personality, there wasn't much going on with her performance.

As a space adventure though, this was entertaining. Though I did not understand a word of the science behind how he solved the main plot. I don't think that was explained well.

[Review] Trouble With The Curve (5.5/10)

 

The movie was saved by Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams. 

I always thought this was directed by Eastwood. But it was the directorial debut of Robert Lorenz, and he got to direct Eastwood? But I thought he directed Justin Timberlake well enough. And Matthew Lillard played a good villain.

[Review] Crime 101 (7.5/10)

 

I've only heard negative reviews about this movie and how no one gave it a chance. It's a really good movie, I thought. 

It was a bit of a slow burn situation, but still enjoyable ever minute. A bit of a sexy heist, a bit of a cat-and-mouse, and a bit of a love story. Ok, not enough of everything as it was already a cramped 2-hour movie.

Also, there wasn't enough focus on Chris Hemsworth's back story, that would be a chief complaint. But Halle Berry and Mark Ruffalo, and their characters, were really good.

Throw in Barry Keoghan and Monica Barraro, and a Nick Nolte who looked like he's on the verge of a heart-attack onset; what a great cast. And I haven't even mentioned Corey Hawkins, Tate Donovan, Paul Adelstein and Jennifer Jason Leigh yet.

Few things that movie failed to clarify: 1) Why didn't Hemsworth's character quickly check the car for his own blood splatter. 2) Donovan's head of security saw Hemsworth's face and had no definitive conclusion there. And 3) And maybe the book didn't have this, but Berry's character was familiar already with Hemsworth's car so Ruffalo in the end would have to explain the whole incident to her if they ever met again.

[Review] Pegasus (5.5/10) {飛馳人生}

 

You can't make a movie without a proper ending. This movie did not have a proper ending. It's as if the writer-director Han Han didn't know how to end it. That, or there was a plan for a sequel. But there's no way a movie like that has a planned sequel already. And, more importantly, even if there was a sequel planned, you can't end the movie without a proper ending.

It started off well. Lots of humour, as expected from Shen Teng. The storyline was a typical one, a redemption story (though not a strong redemption arc) and going through obstacles of getting a car. I think the joke went one over too far with the game show. 

Then came the CGI, which started off well when used in specific situations. But then they tried to do the Hollywood style of showing the inner workings inside an engine during the race. They half assed it here and it was neither here nor there.

And I thought the worst part was when Shen's character tried so hard to not take the initial offer from the younger rival played by Johnny Huang, but by the 11th hour he still had to. That wasn't good writing. If that whole desert accident was removed, the movie would still have worked.

So, yes, I am surprised how this not only got one sequel, but two. So I will give them a watch. Because I am also curious how they would explain this first ending.

[Review] War Machine (8/10)

 

Very rarely a movie can go full throttle for over 30 minutes and keeps you glued to the screen. And even more surprising, a Netflix movie has achieved that. 

The second act just didn't let up as it was chase after chase with obstacles that upped the ante for the small band of heroes. Alan Ritchson could be the next big action hero if Netflix would only put their movies in the cinemas.

And honestly, this was what a G.I. Joe movie should have been like.