Tag Archives: cinema

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Reviews: Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019)

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This movie isn’t for everyone. If you have not seen any Kevin Smith movies or are not a fan of his work, you won’t have a good time. This movie is very Kevin Smith in that most of the jokes are inside jokes that reference all his other works. I have seen most of his work and I had trouble following some of the jokes. That said, I enjoyed the format of this movie.

The reboot seems to be an essay about the state of modern cinema interwoven in the conclusion of a long-running series. Kevin Smith uses a lot of dialogue to criticize Hollywood and his work. The movie also works as a conclusion to Jay’s narrative. If you have been following the series, you know that Jay starts as this goofy drug dealer, but slowly he has become a selfish and almost heroic character. I believe this movie was a great way to end his story.

I do have a few issues with the movie. The meta jokes get tired and repetitive. The third act is slow and stops suddenly. The minority characters serve as tokens and hold very little weight. The movie cannot stand on its own without being some kind of Kevin Smith fan. It isn’t a bad movie by any means. Some genuinely funny moments had me crying. The acting is fine. The movie was fun for me, but I like his style of film making and I got a lot of the references.

There is a lot I like about this movie, but the cost of admission for this movie is too high. Don’t let this be your first Kevin Smith movie, you will not understand it. If you don’t like his style of movie-making, I would skip this one. This movie is Kevin Smith the movie. If you are a fan of Kevin Smith’s work, then you probably already watched it. If not, it is included with your Prime Membership.

Movie Reviews, movies

Prime Movie Reviews: Defendor (2009)

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Defendor is another Average Joe Superhero movie. The movie has the delightful casting of Woody Harrelson; his charm is infectious in this movie. Harrelson plays Arthur, a man with mental disabilities who fights crime as Defendor.

What sets this movie apart is Arthur. Arthur has this strong sense of justice and duty that he has emulated from his comic books. There are moments when he shows some bits of his humanity, but his personality changes when he puts on the costume. Watching the contrast between Defendor and Arthur is well executed. Defendor isn’t a great fighter and often gets beat up, but that never stopped him. His real superpower is his determination to his cause. Don’t go into this movie expecting well-choreographed fights. The fights are filmed to fit the narrative. Defendor uses gadgets like marbles or wasps to create confusion and uses that confusion to get an advantage. They are fun to watch. And don’t get me started on his catch phrases. They are the icing to the whole movie!

The movie is a little slow at times. It bounces around from different aspects of his life as he tries to stop his nemesis Captain Industry.
The film spends a lot of time effectively building a back story for Defendor. The film also does a great job showing the impact that Defendor and Author make on the world. This film is successful at telling a compelling superhero story with what it has.

But, this film is not for everyone. The pacing can be a problem, especially towards the middle. But if you have an Amazon Prime membership and two hours to kill, there are worse ways to spend it.

Movie Reviews, movies

YouTube Movie Reviews: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

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Set in Depression-Era America, it weaves in different iconic moments throughout the adventure. I can not speak for its historical accuracy, but it does seem to align with other narratives from the era. History aside, there is a lot to love about the movie. The characters in this movie are fun and memorable, but my favorite has to be George Clooney’s pseudointellectual adaptation of Ulysses. The story itself, although it is an odd one, is engaging. Watching Ullyses and company travel through the American landscape is a fun and beautiful journey.

This movie also has one of my favorite soundtracks. My love for folk music began with this movie. Folk music has played an important role in American culture. It is only fitting that it accompanies our narrative.

I could keep going about this movie because it is one of my favorites, but I will end it here. You need to watch this movie!

Watch it Here!
Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Reviews: Afternoon Delight (2013)

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I don’t know where to start with this movie. It is a disappointing movie that isn’t worth your time. There are elements of this movie that are fine. The acting is fine. Some awkward scenes show the main character’s state of despair. My issue with this movie is how it all ends.

The movie is about a bored housewife who is unhappy with her life. The film does a fine job showing the audience how trapped she is. To cure her boredom, she takes a sex worker off the street to live in her house. This seemingly altruistic act is muddied with sexual desire and boredom. There are moments where the movie suggests the desire for a sexual relationship with the prostitute, but nothing comes of it. The whole situation was merely a hobby to fill her otherwise meaningless life.

What I hate is that the source of her unhappiness is that her life is too nice. She begins to act recklessly because she wants real-life experiences. When life gets too real, she freaks out and it’s like nothing ever happened. You have all this build-up and then nothing. There is no hero’s journey. There is no character growth. The movie just ends.

I don’t recommend this movie. It’s not worth your time.

Movie Reviews, movies

YouTube Movie Reviews: Last Knights (2015)

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Here is a fantasy movie that doesn’t require much commitment. Last Knights is a last-stand movie like “Rogue One” where the heroes go on this suicide mission to restore Morgan Freeman’s honor. It is set in a fantasy setting, but do not let the fact that it is fantasy scare you. You do not need to learn a new language or memorize the different conflicting factions. It is a self-contained and simple movie that is easy to follow and even easier to get into.

I have to emphasize the simplicity of this movie. There is no expansive world-building; the story takes place in such a small space that it doesn’t matter if you remember the names of the kingdom or houses involved. There is no character development because everyone is a stoic and heroic martyr that follows the knight’s code. The knight’s code is a fancy way of saying undying loyalty to the house they serve. They do separate the characters into categories which is nice. You have the big ones, the small ones, and the main one. You also know how this movie will end because it is pretty generic.

That said, it is not a bad movie. The acting is solid. The sets and costumes are pretty enough. I had fun watching it, but I understand that it is not for everyone. The movie focuses a lot more on political affairs; there is a lot of talking. The action that does occur is heavily edited, but not terrible. The film does tell a story, as simple as it is, and it builds enough suspense to be engaging. If you are looking for an action-packed fantasy movie, this might have too much dialogue in it to be worth your time. If you are looking for a movie you can throw on while you cook or fold laundry, this is a fine choice. It doesn’t require too much commitment to watch and it is free on YouTube.

Watch It Here!
Movie Reviews, movies

YouTube Movie Reviews: Just Friends

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As far as Romantic Comedies go, you can’t go wrong with “Just Friends.” It is a light-hearted story about a guy trying to win over a girl he was in love with in high school. You have a charming Ryan Reynolds, a crazy Anna Faris, and one of the best ending credits scene out of any movie. I recommend this movie if you like Romantic Comedies. Heck, I even recommend this if you aren’t because it has a certain charm that I believe anyone can enjoy.

My only issue with the movie is the idea of the friend zone. The friend zone is such a gross concept because it suggests that women are prizes to be won. They aren’t, and I think this movie does a great job dealing with this issue by showing the audience that the feelings of love didn’t materialize because Ryan Reynolds won, but rather that the feelings always existed. The love interest in this movie is still a bit one-dimensional, but she is not as bad as others in the genre.

If you are looking for a movie to watch on your next date night, or just browsing for something to watch, you can’t go wrong with this. You can watch it on Netflix and it is also free on YouTube.

Watch it Here!
Movie Reviews, movies

YouTube Movie Reviews: IP Man (2008)

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There is so much I like about this movie. It has very well-choreographed fight scenes accompanied by some fine camera work. This movie does a great job balancing its engaging story and its tense, nail-biting action. To top it all off, the overall message of this narrative isn’t overbearing nor preachy.

I recommend this movie to anyone. There is violence, but the story woven around it should satisfy most audiences. I suggest watching it n the original Cantonese with subtitles because I feel that a lot of the emotion and tension is lost in the dubbing.

You can watch this movie and the two that follow on YouTube for free!

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Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Reviews: Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)

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Welcome to Racoon City has to be the worst movie in the series. Absolutely nothing happens in the first thirty minutes of this movie. There is no meaningful world-building, no character development, and zombies aren’t even cool. This whole experience is a giant slog towards a very cheesy and disappointing sequel bait.

Most of the run time is wasted on pointless family drama. I came to this movie to see some hot zombie action, but the zombies take a back seat to the main character’s poorly acted family issues. The zombies barely show up in this movie. When they do, they are these poorly designed abominations. What little action does exist is poorly executed and dull. I can’t stress enough how boring this movie is.

This is a generic action movie and not the origin story it claims to be. If you are a fan of the video games, prepare to stay disappointed. If you are a fan of the movie series, this is the worst one. This movie isn’t worth your time nor the $20 price tag.

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Reviews: Notzilla (2019)

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I really want to like this movie. There are a lot of elements in this film that resonate with me. I love the cheesy over the top acting. I love some of the running gags. Some of the writing is clever and concise. I adore how creative they get with their sets and style choices. On paper, this is the perfect film for me, but I can’t recommend this to a mainstream audience.

The biggest issue I have with this movie is with its pacing. I lost interest about halfway through. It would be better as a shorter film. Some of the gags are not funny and go on for too long. At points, it gets too meta for its own good. I am not a fan of meta jokes.

Average moviegoers won’t like this film. If you are a fan of monster films, it might be salvageable but, the cheesy tone it takes is not for everyone. I feel like there are a lot of references and jokes that I missed because I haven’t seen many monster movies. That said, I do appreciate this movie for what it does. There are some creative stylistic choices in this movie that should not be overlooked. It also has some of my favorite jokes from any parody. But it is not a movie I can recommend.

If you are interested, you can check it out on Amazon if you have an active ConTV subscription.

Watch it Here!
Movie Reviews, movies

YouTube Movie Reviews: The Ex (2006)

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I take issue with this genre of movies because, at its core, it is about objectifying women. Two men will fight over the desired woman as if she were a prize until the “good” one proves victorious. There is a lot of deception, betrayal, and shenanigans along the way. If you can look past the objectification, they can be fun movies you will forget about soon after. This movie isn’t fun’ I do not recommend it.

My biggest issue with this movie is with the main character. He is rude, selfish, and self-serving. He is only the better option because the rival is irredeemably and cartoonishly evil. The main character is equally unlikable and it makes this movie difficult to get through. This whole ordeal becomes a drawn-out fight between two characters that you won’t care about.

This whole movie could have been avoided if there was a clear and honest discussion between the couple. But there isn’t, because the woman’s opinion doesn’t matter. I forgot the woman existed until she would randomly pop up to move the plot forward. The fact that she forgives the main character after the fact proves how one-dimensional of a character she is. She only exists to have the baby and be fought over. It is disgusting.

It is a shame that there is so much wasted talent in this movie. On paper, a cast like this should result in a funny movie but the funny moments are too far in between to be worth watching. The movie is slow the rest of the time. I say don’t waste your time with this. Watch “School for Scoundrels” instead. But if you insist on ignoring my caution, you can find this movie free on YouTube.

Watch it Here!