Tag Archives: Movie

YouTube Movie Reviews: Fanboys (2009)

If you haven’t seen this movie, I urge you to check it out. If you’ve seen it and love it, it’s free on YouTube.

As far as these road trip because one of our friends is dying movies go, you can’t go wrong with fanboys. It has a certain charm that I find is unmatched. Now I won’t sit here and lie to you, the ending is cliché. What is important here is the journey they go on and not the destination and that’s ok because you enjoy the journey they go on.

The characters are lovable and memorable. The hijinks for the most part are grounded in reality, and those that aren’t are funny enough that it doesn’t matter. It is a well-crafted movie and I urge you to watch it.

I particularly like that the nerd culture isn’t overbearing like in other movies. It feels like a group of friends who are passionate about Star Wars that set off on an adventure. It’s one of the better movies on the platform and you can’t go wrong with free.

Blood Fest (2018) Review

This was an incredibly frustrating movie. Not because it was bad, but because it was lazy. I didn’t expect much from a company that primarily focuses on short videos for the internet and yet I still found myself being let down. I understand that I am not the target audience, but that won’t stop me from criticizing whatever you want to call this. Rooster Teeth makes content for fans of Rooster teeth. This creates clear limitations to the narrative they can tell because the movie will stop multiple times to add poorly placed, pace-stopping fan service. These desperate attempts come in the form of cameos and jokes that add little to the movie. And maybe that is the point but if you are not a fan of Rooster Teeth or are familiar with any of its content creators, it is alienating.

The movie plays like a bad parody. The main characters traverse through this dystopian Disneyland of horror movie tropes without dying. It honestly feels like a series that is connected by terrible dubstep and rooster teeth reference. It might have been better as a web series and it would eliminate all the unnecessary fluff used to pad the movie. Anytime this movie starts to build any tension, it stops to make a dumb joke that never lands.

This movie is very monotone. The meta nature of the movie doesn’t leave any wiggle room for storytelling and instead, you get a lot of bad references to better movies. The over the top acting might be good for a web series, but it overstays its welcome. It is sad because the actors show that they can be charismatic and likable at points, but that charisma is wasted on the terrible writing.

Ultimately, this movie is generic. I knew how the movie was going to end within the first minutes of the movie. I knew where each scene was going to go. My issue isn’t that the movie is bad, I have seen worse, it is that it is boring. You move from parody to parody waiting for the obvious jokes until you get to the obvious twist and it is a huge letdown. There are a few ways this could have been done better but I don’t want to spoil the movie in that regard.

This movie wasn’t made for me. If you aren’t a 13-year-old or a fan of Rooster Teeth fan, this movie is going to be boring. I am disappointed and frustrated that I wasted so much time on an incredibly lazy movie.

Youtube Reviews: Idiocracy (2006)

This movie is a political satire that addresses the dangers of commercialism, complacency, and laziness. It is an interpretation of a possible future if we as a society do not change. The future is a waste land full of idiots who no longer are capable of solving basic problems. There are trash mountains, rampant government corruption, and human life is owned by corporations.  The movie is simple in it’s story telling, but it is a tone that fits the movie.

I recommend this movie based on it’s uniqueness. The acting is over the top. Some of the saturations and shenanigans are ridiculous.  It is an imagining of a future that hasn’t been presented before and I for one am here for it. I will say that this movie can put off some people. It can be gross, obnoxious, and rude but that is the point of the movie. Overall I believe it to provide proper social commentary and I urge everyone, even those who might not like it, to watch it. This is easily one of the better films on the platform.

Youtube Reviews: Oliver, Stoned (2014)

This is a stoner comedy with some charm, but not enough to make it worth your while. If you smoke weed, I can see it being a better experience, but I wouldn’t classify this as a must watch. The plot is simple, the acting is decent, and the hi-jinks are outlandish but they fit the tone of the movie. If you aren’t high however, the cheesiness of the movie is off-putting and some of the characters  lean towards more of the annoying end of the spectrum.

It is a stoner movie so this movie is consistently stops to take a smoke break. This slows the movie down, not that there is much content to fill the space to begin with. Overall, I didn’t hate this movie. It was something to watch and I have most definitely seen worse. That said, I don’t recommend this unless you are really high and don’t have any better movies to watch.

Youtube Reviews: The Shack (2017)

It’s a Christian movie. It explores a man’s faith in God through a series of conversations as a he works through the loss of his youngest daughter. Is it a good movie? No. It’s slow, repetitive, predictable and preachy. I lost interest half way through because nothing happens. Is it a good Christian movie? Yes. It has a clear message, it’s heartwarming, and it brings up a lot of good points about Christianity.

Overall, I can’t recommend this movie unless you are a very religious person. I am not very religious and I felt almost alienated by the content. This movie is a series of conversations about a person working through his faith. There is a sub plot about a kid napping and something about poisoning but most of your time with this movie will be spend listening to conversations that get a bit repetitive. Again there is nothing wrong with the content, the acting is solid and the overall theme of the movie is ok, it just didn’t resonate with me because it was a bit too preachy for my taste.

Youtube Reviews: The Promotion

It’s hard to write about this movie because it was so bland. This is a movie about the mundane nature of working at a super market. The humor comes from the extraordinary antics that come from the two main characters competing for the same promotion. It is a bit like Napoleon Dynamite in that nothing really happens, but it isn’t as good. I am sure if you like slow and awkward humor, you won’t mind this movie. Otherwise, you probably will lose interest towards the middle.

I do like that it makes a jab at retail corporate culture. The two main characters are stuck in dead end jobs and the promise of advancement is enough to make them go crazy. John C. Reilly puts it best at the end when he says “we’re all just out here tryn’ to get some food. Sometimes we bump into each other”. That is what this movie is a bout, two guys trying to put food on the table and survive working a job that doesn’t care about them or pays them enough. It is a commentary on low wage jobs, essential workers, and the people who exploit them. Is it effective in its message? I think so. Is it for everyone? No, most people looking for an entertaining movie will probably not like the pacing in this movie. I enjoyed it enough, but it doesn’t stand out in my mind and I probably won’t watch it again.

Youtube Reviews – Taxi (2004)

This is a dumb movie. You have Jimmy Fallon as an incompetent cop who is trying to prove himself. You have Queen Latifah who wants to be a race car driver. You have super model bank robbers and a  race against the clock to catch them. The whole idea is ridiculous and when this movie came out, it worked. Watching it now, the movie hasn’t aged well, the jokes don’t land, Jimmy Fallon is annoying, the special effects are ugly. It isn’t a bad movie, you can watch it but you will probably lose interest 30 minutes in. I suggest you watch this movie if you want something in the back ground that you don’t have to pay attention to.

It’s a very middle of the road movie. It’s not funny enough, not interesting enough, not exciting enough. It is just a movie you put on to pass some time and forget you ever watched it. You can do a lot worse for free.

Youtube Reviews – The Switch (2010)

This is a charming movie that you should check out if you haven’t done so already. It is heartwarming, light, and the cast is amazing. I recommend this movie for a date night or any other night.

My only real issue with this movie is how they blur the line between learned behaviors and genetic traits  that are passed down between parent and child. The movie hinges on the idea that the child in this movie inherits all of these quirks from a father he hasn’t ever met. It goes out of its way to suggest that there is this natural unbreakable attraction between biological family. It is almost a magnetic attraction that is bound by traits that should have been learned through experience and not genetics. That being said, you can learn to overlook this and enjoy it for the story it is. A story about a man who learns how to be a father and family that was always destined to be together. Watch it.

The Addams Family 2 (2021) – Review

This was a very bland movie. Writing this, I don’t really remember what the movie is about because it does so little to stand out or create any lasting presence. The movie tries so hard to be relevant and hip that at the time of this review, it has already become obsolete. This movie will not age well.

That being said, if you are forced to sit through this movie, you won’t hate it. It’s not a bad movie, but I wouldn’t recommend it over the first one because it isn’t as good.

The biggest issue with this movie is Snoop Dogg. He is in way too much of this movie and adds very little to the actual plot. He only exists to create references to Snoop Dogg the musician and has nothing to do with the Adams family. His character is the off-brand minion character no one asked for. His scenes in this movie kill any momentum the movie creates as it halts the film to show the audience how big of a pimp Snoop Dogg is. If you take out all of his scenes, you have a slightly better shorter movie.

This movie is a giant build up to a very disappointing Snoop Dogg music video. If you have kids that want to watch this, it’ll be fine. However, I suggest you try to convince them to watch the first one instead. Watch it if you must, the first one is still better.

Youtube Reviews: Bandslam (2009)

There isn’t too much to say about this movie.  It isn’t impressive and hasn’t aged very well. It isn’t bad, it’s just a another kids movie where the goal is to win the battle of the bands. If you’ve seen one, you’ve have seen them all. But don’t let that dissuade you, it is no where near being the worst movie on the platform.

This movie probably isn’t for the regular movie goer. It is good if you have kids.  The plot is simple, the characters are awkward but likable, and the some of the music is decent. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have any of that repetitive, torturous toddler music. The performances in this movie are also pretty solid. The main character really feels like this geeky kid who is passionate about music. The friend group in this movie feels like a real group of kids who are in a band together. If you have to watch this, you won’t want to kill yourself.
 

My only real issue with the  movie is that I never really got into Ska. There was a bit too much ska in this movie for my taste, but that in no way ruined my experience. I just wish it had more punk or even some of the emo stuff they tease you with.

Watch this movie this if you have nothing else to do. Throw it on if you have kids. Skip it if you hate ska.