Tag Archives: watch movies

Movie Reviews

Movie Review: I Used to be Famous (2022)

2 Comments

Image by Firmbee from Pixabay

This movie was okay. I Used to Be Famous is certainly the last resort movie, something you throw on when you have absolutely nothing else to watch. While it isn’t a terrible movie, it is forgettable. This movie relies too heavily on trying to elicit feelings of sympathy and warmth towards a heartwarming friendship that frankly has been done better elsewhere. This is an okay option to throw on when you don’t want to be fully invested in a story. 

The story is about a failed boy band artist Vince who is trying to regain his glory days. While he may still feel the music, he finds himself blocked from creating the next hit that will revive his career. This all changes when he meets an unlikely friend in Stevie, a boy with autism who likes to play the drums. Together they begin to make inspired music that begins to open doors for them, but this isn’t without its challenges. Eventually, Vince realizes that he no longer wishes to use his music to seek fame but to help people heal. It is as sappy and cheesy as it sounds.

There isn’t anything objectively wrong with this movie. The acting and story are fine, but the music isn’t. While I can appreciate the chemistry between the actors, it was hard to sit through the concerts. As much as this movie tries to make it seem like the music made is an instant hit, it’s not. This won’t ruin the experience, but it does emphasize this movie’s cheesiness. It is a fine story about friendship, but it isn’t a big impression. Peanut Butter Falcon does it a lot better. 

You can stream this movie on Netflix. I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch it, but you won’t hate it if you do.

Please consider supporting what I do by checking out my affiliate links. You might find some sweet deals:

Get 81% off on Atlas VPN

Start your free trial at Gamefly

Check out the deals at the Dell Outlet

Discounts for Bluetti Generators

Check out AVG Anti Virus

Or find some sweet deals on Groupon

You can always buy stuff from Amazon with my Affiliate links:

Buy a TV to watch it on, or upgrade your Sound, or try Amazon Prime Free

You can always just buy me coffee

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Review: Candyman 2021

5 Comments
Source

If you haven’t seen the new Candyman, what are you doing? Go watch this movie now and thank me after. This is a beautiful horror movie that is well worth your time. This film not only expands the lore of the original but gives it new life. Watching the original is not a requirement, this film does a fantastic job at providing enough context to make the narrative make sense. I remember watching the original when I was younger and remember liking it although admittedly, it did scare me. I vaguely remember the plot but I never felt lost by what was happening.

The movie follows the artist Anthony McCoy who is in search of inspiration for his next show. His search brings him to the urban legend of the Candyman. Candyman is the soul of a wronged man who can be summoned by saying his name five times to a mirror. Once summoned, Candyman kills those who summon him, becoming the monster he was made to be. Antony’s fascination becomes an obsession as now all he can do or think about is related to the urban legend. Anthony has unknowingly unleashed Candyman back onto the streets of gentrified Chicago. Will this obsession be his downfall, or Anthony be the one to lay the legend of Candyman to rest?

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Review: The Karate Kid (2010)

9 Comments
Source

I remember watching this in theaters when it first came out. I also remember the disappointment I felt after watching it. It’s been a while since then, and I thought that time and the fact that it is free would dull the disappointment, but it hasn’t. I am still as disappointed as I was before, but somehow it stings more.

This movie is a shameless rehashing of the Karate kids franchise, but you are better off watching all the originals. This is beat for beat the first Karate kid, although it does borrow elements from its sequels. The acting is awkward, the story is dumb, and it lacks the charm of the originals. I don’t believe Jaden Smith has the acting ability that his father wishes he had, and as a result, we’ve gotten a series of bad movies that aren’t worth your time. Maybe he’s a better musician, but I don’t see any awards in his future.

I am glad the Karate Kid Franchise got its proper reboot with Kobra Kai. If you haven’t seen that show, I highly recommend it. There is a bit of high school drama that you can skip over, but overall it is a nice continuation of the saga.

You can find this movie on YouTube for free, but I wouldn’t bother.

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Review: The Black Phone (2022)

Leave a comment

The Black Phone is a welcome addition to the horror genre, one that leaves me hopeful for the future of scary movies. If you are thinking of watching this movie, just buy the tickets already. This movie is worth the theater experience. This terrifyingly suspenseful thriller will have you the most stressed you have ever been in a movie as you experience the cold isolated realm carefully crafted by the Grabber.

The sleepy town of Boulder Colorado has been hit with a series of kidnappings. The town is in a panic as they fear for the safety of their young boys. The movie focuses on Fin, the Grabber’s latest victim, who has the supernatural ability to speak with the dead through an old phone. Will Fin be the one to get away, or will he be just another victim?

This is a fantastic movie with amazing actors, a great story, and well-crafted horror. There are no cheap jump scares, farfetched storylines, or torture porn here. Instead, you have a tense and stressful situation effectively created through the isolation of the room and the maddening performance of Ethan Hawk. He is creepy, he is odd, and he is frightening. Hawk is a brilliant villain whose performance alone is worth the ticket price. But this movie is not possible without the equally brilliant child actors who help fuel a lot of the tension and suspense of this movie. You couple all of this with the movie’s terrifyingly stunning visuals and editing, and you get one of the creepiest movies I have seen in a while. The Black Phone is horror done correctly.

You need to watch this movie, and it needs to be in theaters.

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Review: The Man From Toronto (2022)

Leave a comment
Source

I am fairly certain that Netflix is struggling and desperate to create content that will retain and grow its fleeting subscribers. All of the recent Netflix originals I have watched have been these uninspired half-baked films where the main draw is a story written around a named brand actor or group of actors. The Man From Toronto is no different. Kevin Hart plays the same character as always, in a film you’ve seen done slightly better elsewhere.

In possibly the dumbest mix-up in movie history, the world believes Kevin Hart to be the infamous Man from Toronto, a highly-skilled gun for hire. Kevin Hart, an average Joe, must take on the Façade and save the world.  Can he talk his way out of a difficult situation, learn to be more serious, and become the man worthy of his wife’s love? Yes he does, and it is terribly unfunny.

This unoriginal movie moves from story beat to story beat, throwing the easiest jokes available at the audience hoping one of them will land. They don’t, and instead you are left with the disappointment that the talent in this movie was wasted. Woody Harrelson steals every scene he is in, but he doesn’t have much competition. Kevin Hart does not have the charisma or acting talent to make this movie work.

I can’t recommend this movie because it isn’t funny. If you are a Kevin Heart fan, he does this exact movie better elsewhere. It is a lazy and uninspired movie that isn’t worth anyone’s time. You can watch it on Netflix, but I wouldn’t bother.

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Review: You Won’t be Alone(2022)

2 Comments
Source

You Won’t Be Alone is a delightfully odd low-budget film about a witch who just wants to live a normal life. Nevena was turned into a witch as a baby. Her mother, fearing that the witch would take her, hides Nevena in a cave. Nevena will spend the first 16 years of her living in this cave in isolation. Eventually, the witch returns for Nevena and takes her out of the cave. Although Nevena appreciates her newfound freedom, she doesn’t want to be a witch. The witches in this movie have the power to take the form of a corpse. Nevena will make three transformations in this movie. We get to watch her learn about human nature from three different perspectives by living as a young woman, a young man, and a little girl. Will she be able to assimilate and have a normal life, or will the hatred toward witches be her demise?

This is a trigger warning! There is a bit of nudity and sex. The movie also deals with abuse, both emotional and physical. If any of these topics trigger you, do not watch this movie.

This movie does a fantastic job of creating an engaging narrative by piecing together different stories. I loved how each Nevena focuses on different aspects of human life based on the assumed perspective. For each version of Nevena, she finds different objects of importance that help her grow as a person. A lot of the narrative exists within her childlike observations. She grew up away from society, so she finds intrigue in everything. This innocent curiosity is a great driving force for the narrative. It is through Nevena’s innocence that we get a lot of important criticism about human nature. 

The only complaint I have is that this movie is with the pacing. This movie is a slow burn, and it is going to be an issue for most people. This movie is also a bit unrefined because of its budget. It is not unwatchable, but it is difficult to ignore. There is some awkward camera work and a few of Nevena’s reactions get tedious. If you can get past these flaws, it is a solid movie. If you can get past the issues, this movie proves that you don’t need a hefty budget of name-brand actors to tell an interesting story. 

This is an Armenian film with some awkwardly translated subtitles. Not unintelligible, but award at points. If you don’t mind the budget and pacing, this is a good way to spend two hours. This movie fills a certain niche, and it won’t be for everyone. This movie is also very quiet. Nevena never learned to speak, a lot of her communication is through gesticulation. The movie does a fantastic job at combining Nevena’s non-verbal communication with a contemplative internal monologue to create a powerful narrative. If you are interested, you can stream it on Peacock. 

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Review: Joe Dirt: A Beautiful Loser (2015)

Leave a comment
Source

Joe Dirt 2 is the sequel no one asked for. It isn’t a direct sequel but rather a painfully unfunny and lazy parody of iconic movies starring Joe Dirt. Someone who I assume was on a lot of drugs thought it would be a fantastic idea to remake iconic movies with a character who wasn’t very funny to begin with. I remember liking the first movie, but I was the target audience at the time. I refuse to watch the movie now because deep down I know that it hasn’t aged well. After seeing this disaster of a sequel, I will let it live in my heart as the experience it was and not soil it with the experience it actually is.
The acting in this movie is terrible. It feels like people just showed up for their paycheck as no one tries remotely to be funny. This might be a symptom of this movie’s terrible script. There aren’t any funny jokes in this movie, just a series of unfunny skits loosely tied together by a framed narrative. This movie is a dream within two framed narratives where Joe learns that he was special the whole time. To illustrate what type of movie this is, there is a five-minute scene where people stand around and fart on Joe Dirt. The rest of the movie is no better as you have to sit through skits that go for way too long hoping the credits will roll to end your misery.
You can find this movie free on YouTube, but don’t bother. It isn’t funny and it isn’t worth your time. This sequel is anything but beautiful.

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Review: Firestarter (2022)

5 Comments
Source

This is a poorly executed movie that isn’t worth your time. If you watched this movie in theaters, I hope you received a refund. Firestarter is boring; there is nothing interesting about this movie. Firestarter is a poorly executed horror thriller without any suspense or urgency. The plot is predictable and lazy, and the acting isn’t good enough to make this movie work. I don’t know how it compares to the original, but the original can’t be worse than whatever this is.

There is a lot of build-up in this movie that leads nowhere, yet there isn’t enough worldbuilding to flesh out its universe. I can’t tell you how the powers work or what the difference between each is; all I know is that people will awkwardly stare at each other and special effects wash over everything. It would help if they explanation or guidance so I could care about what is going on, but instead, there is only incompetence.

There is no suspense in this movie. The villains in this movie are negligible at best. They are guided by generic motivations and only seem to appear when the writing hits a wall. When they do show up, they are blown away almost instantly. It is extremely anticlimactic. It would be nice if it felt like Charlie and her family were being pursued by a competent force. It would help make things interesting if the fights were fun. This movie does a great job at making super-powered fights boring. I don’t even want to get into how problematic Rainbird is, but I am deeply offended. 

There are other movies that tackle this story more effectively, seek those out instead. This movie doesn’t deserve your time. But if you don’t believe me, you can watch it over on Peacock.

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Review: All We Had (2016)

Leave a comment
Source

All We Had is a neat little film you can watch for free on YouTube. It details the struggles of a mother and daughter dealing with their homelessness. The film focuses on their desperation as they search for a normal life. This movie deals with hard topics such as homelessness, transphobia, and substance and sexual abuse. This isn’t a gruesome movie, but I felt a trigger warning was appropriate. A lot of the dark elements of this movie are implied rather than performed.

Overall, I thought this movie was fine. Although it does little to stand out from all the other emotional movies of the genre, I enjoyed it. The acting was fantastic, and the story is fine. If you like emotional and inspiring movies about overcoming adversity, this is a solid choice. Even if you don’t like the genre, you can appreciate the performance.

You can watch this for free on YouTube. You can do a lot worse for free.

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Review: The Wolf Hour (2019)

4 Comments
Source

The Wolf Hour is a depressing and anxiety-inducing representation of the writing process. The film focuses on June and her descent into madness as she attempts to write her next big hit. June has isolated herself from the world, fearing to leave her apartment. The movie does a great job at manifesting June’s anxiety, loneliness, depression, and even desperation as she fails to find the words for her next book. The movie does a great job at blurring reality and imagination as June’s time in isolation has loosened her grip on reality. It is unclear what is real and what June imagines, making the movie seem more sinister than it is.

I love the insanity of this movie. The unreliable perspective of the narrative gives the movie its much-appreciated mystery. The acting is fantastic. I loved its dark and dirty setting. This subtly trippy representation of trying to write something great is so accurate that I shared in June’s anxiety. I loved everything about this movie. I could go on about all the symbolism and metaphors, but I will leave that for you to discover on your own. 

You can watch this movie on Amazon Video with A Prime Membership. It is also free on Tubi, PlutoTV, and Vudu.