I'd love to be on top of things all the time and critic every movie I watch, but it's simply impossible without giving up my entire life to dedicate myself to this work. Unfortunately, I'm not at a point where I could afford to consume myself in this type of writing yet and it saddens me to accept that. However, I recently came up with an idea that if you end up enjoying you can let me know and I'll continue with it in the future.
This idea is called, '5 Brief Reviews' which will be a separate category on my blog where I take five random movies I've watched in a certain time frame and I'll review each of them in a few paragraphs. These reviews will be spoiler free and have my usual overall score of how much I enjoyed them. I figured this would make some people more pleased with my blog by seeing more movies being viewed through my eyes, and even if it's not as expansive as my usual reviews, it's still something to check out.
These mini reviews will most likely apply to movies that are popular in mainstream media, so independent films or movies from decades ago probably won't end up here because it would be complicated to keep the time frame accurate- meaning I wouldn't go through with like an all 50s movies reviews and so on (not unless it's begged for or I change my mind). So expect a lot of movies you've seen trailers for on television over and over again, I will give my opinion like usual- just much shorter.
Now enough talking, and let's get into the critics from movies I saw last year- between November and December of 2017.
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COCO
Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga6RYejo6Hk
Rating- PG
Genre- Fantasy/Mystery
Warnings- None
'Coco' is an American 3D computer-animated film that was released on November 22 by Walt Disney Pictures and produced by Pixar Animation Studios. The story stars a young boy named Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) who accidentally transports himself into the land of the dead during the Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muertos, and he seeks the help of his deceased great-great-grandfather in order to return to the living world.
The thing that attracted my attention first was how visually stunning the settings were. The beauty of both the living and the dead captures the essence of Mexican culture through vibrant colors and common themes. The biggest theme being the holiday itself and how it's presented with respect and positivity, unlike what one might think when remembering the dead. There were other themes as well, including the families' high regard for their ofrendas and the inclusion of the Spanish language even though this is an American made film. I appreciated the little touches made to introduce people to a side of the world that may be overlooked if you're not immersed in it.
The story itself is interesting, though I feel like it tried too hard to make me believe Miguel's family values. In the movie, there is one particular thing that his family despises and they've felt this way through generations, but only Miguel wants to pursue this thing and thus, everyone is against this choice. When you watch it, you can see what I mean when I say that I cannot buy the family's negative behavior over this thing. I know why they feel this way, but it's such a general subject that is present in all forms of life that I find it hard to believe only Miguel would want to know more about it. That's my biggest issue, that the anger from the family and future conflicts seemed too forced and was obvious that is was just needed as a plot device rather than something genuine that could really happen.
There were also a plot hole that I spotted upon my second time watching this, which makes me wonder why a certain character didn't catch onto the fact that he or she was betrayed by someone when his or her work was very prominent around him or her despite not releasing it him or herself. The movie was still good regardless. It can be funny, heartwarming, and even have a few tear jerking moments. I can say that I cried at the ending.
Would I recommend it? Yes, whether you're born in Latin culture, interested in it, or not, it's still beneficial to get a little diversity in your movie experiences.
Would I watch it again? Yes.
Would I buy it on DvD? Well, I already bought it, so yes. It's an easy watch for the whole family that will make you feel closer together and will have you wanting to create more happy memories.
Score: 4 1/2 out of 5 Stars
THE SHAPE OF WATER
Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFYWazblaUA
Rating- R
Genre- drama/thriller
Warnings- strong language/sexual situations/attempted sexual assault/disturbing imagery/torture
'The Shape of Water' is a dark fantasy film that was released on December 1, written by Guillermo del Toro and produced by TSG Entertainment and Double Dare You Productions. The story focuses on a mute woman named Eliza (Sally Hawkins) who is ostracized in her society in 1960s Baltimore, but finds solace in an amphibian man (Doug Jones) who brings out the best in her and through their peculiar relationship each individual discovers something new and pure that others cannot understand.
Let's get the elephant out of the room. No, this movie is not about beastiality. In fact, there is no graphic sexual scene involving the main leads at all. The movie is handled very well with how their relationship is presented, while there is clearly a budding romance between the two characters, never did I feel uncomfortable watching it unfold. I found the scenes of them together heartwarming because before then it's clear that each individual suffers under the thumb of an unjust world.
They are looked upon for who they are and are given no respect because of it, and this is also apparent in other characters like Eliza's closeted gay friend, Giles (Richard Jenkins) and African American friend, Zelda (Octavia Spencer). Through all of these discriminated characters, we are witnessed to a world that provides difficulty for these kinds of people to live a happy life. Therefore, when Eliza grows close with the unique creature, it's beautiful to me because it's a light in the shadows of discrimination. If you're still grossed out by the idea of a human with a fish, then knows that the movie allows you to make up your own theories about who Eliza really is and what happens to this couple in the end.
If I had to complain about anything, I'd say that Eliza's friends are a bit too accepting of this creature. This may be a fantasy movie, but it's still treated like it's reality and finding out your friend is being intimate with an animal would make you cock your head, but almost immediately they are okay with this situation and are willing to put their lives on the line. Yet, based on their circumstances, I can kind of deal with that because if people are so willing to hate on them for the color of their skin or who they like then why would they use that hatred on someone else?
This is also a visually stunning movie that makes up for the fact that the length is more than two hours long, which doesn't sound appealing to me on paper. However, I had a joy watching this movie. The soundtrack felt like I was riding on waves under a calm night sky full of peace and whimsy. The characters were likable and you want to root for their success. This also really shows that you can have a woman fall in love with an animal, and have her be the most sane person in the movie.
Would I recommend it? Yes, and please keep an open mind. If you're thoroughly disgusted by this plot after what I addressed, then this movie is probably not for you.
Would I watch it again? Yes I would, as long as I have time on my hands.
Would I buy it on DvD? I would.
Score: 5 out of 5 stars
THE DISASTER ARTIST
Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMKX2tE5Luk
Rating- R
Genre- comedy/drama
Warnings- strong language/nudity/sexual situations
Though I never read the book, I heard that there are certain events that are expanded more in the book than they are in the movie and I wish the movie would have spent a few more minutes detailing those moments. These moments in the movie do not accurately depict the true events that occurred and that disappoints me. I'm mostly referring to the ending of the movie and how compared to the book, this ending is much more happily ever after than what really occurred.
Though in the end, Wiseau accepted that his movie was a failure but one that was fascinating to watch, the movie makes it seem like Wiseau easily knew that this was a good thing when in reality, it took many viewings of The Room for Wiseau to understand that he could still make a profit out of his film.
This is not to say that 'The Disaster Artist' was a fail in itself because I really had fun watching this biography. I would say that you don't have to watch 'The Room' before watching this, but how could you not watch it first? I think it would make the humor in this movie much funnier if you knew where it came from and why it's supposed to be hilarious to the audience.
Aside for the humor, there is also this underlying eeriness about Wiseau that doesn't include the obvious. You get to know more of his real persona outside of the movie he creates and I came to realize that Wiseau is a passionate man with a tendency to be possessive and easily temperamental when he feels he is being abandoned. This biography digs deep into that unsettling side of the man behind 'The Room' and also Sestero, who- bless his heart- shows how patient he was with this one of kind filmmaker.
This is a hilarious film, but also has this down-to-earth feel about two struggling people who strive to make a name out of themselves and judging by the fact that their awful movie is now a cult classic, they sure made that name solid in entertainment history forever.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely, if you enjoyed 'The Room' then you'll definitely love this.
Would I watch it again? Maybe if I have people around who haven't seen it. I think one time is enough.
Would I buy it on DvD? Actually, I don't think I would. Like I said, one time is good enough for me, but 'The Room' I'd watch a billion times over.
Score: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars
FERDINAND
Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7RkOfN8KvE
Rating- PG
Genre- fantasy/adventure
Warnings- None
'Ferdinand' is an animated children's movie that was released on December 15 and was produced by Blue Sky Studios, 20th Century Fox Animation, and Davis Entertainment. It's a movie that is about a friendly bull named Ferdinand (John Cena) who is forced in a fighting arena and because of this, his beliefs are challenged on whether he must leave his pacifist nature behind in order to be a talented bullfighter.
This is a cute movie that any child would enjoy. I think it provides enough action to keep their action and a strong moral for them to follow, that you don't have to be violent to solve your problems. I abide by that (I hope) every day, and I could see myself in the lead character who was bashed on for his gentle demeanor, but never once seemed to want to change who he is for anybody. That is a good message to send to kids. Unfortunately though, I did find a lot of negatives with this movie.
The first part of the movie feels really strong to me and I wanted to see what would happen next, but once Ferdinand meets side character, Lupe (Kate McKinnon) things went downhill for me. Granted there are shining moments throughout the film that I enjoyed, the side characters irked me very much to the point where I'm not a big fan of this film. Lupe was really annoying, as well as some other characters that are introduced that take their obnoxious antics to a new level- I wanted to close my ears shut.
Ferdinand's calm nature saved this from being a horrible movie. What also helped was how dark the movie could go at times; there is death and disfigurement involved for instance. Though it's not graphic, it's still a factor in the real world that children may face in their own way and it takes guts to introduce that in something as innocent as this.
I think this will be one of those movies that will end up deep in the crevices on my mind- forgotten. Still, it wasn't horrible and I did like some parts of it a lot.
Would I recommend it? For children, yes I would. I think it teaches good morals and it isn't harmless.
Would I watch it again? No.
Would I buy it on DvD? No.
JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QKg5SZ_35I
Rating- PG-13
Genre- fantasy/action
Warnings- minor language
'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle' is a sequel that was released on December 20. It is a sequel to 1995's 'Jumanji,' that was based on a 1981 children's book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. This sequel takes place twenty one years after the first movie, and is about four teenagers who are sucked into the video world of Jumanji and play as characters who end up helping them build up the strengths they lack in the real world like confidence and kindness, all the while trying to win the game so they can return to the real world.
I know a lot of people appear to like this movie a lot, but I simply can't agree. Even critics have rated this high marks, but I found it challenging to pay attention to what was going on in the film because I was so bored. I've never been a fan of settings taking place in the forest because oftentimes it's pretty dull and monotone in color.
What also didn't work for me was how certain characters are pushed to be rebellious, like one of the characters in the movie who gets upset at the fact that he or she has to exercise because school isn't about working out- it's about education.
Obviously, school is about education, on that note, exercise educates you on how to stay healthy. Another thing, this character rants about how gym time is so horrible and defeats the purpose of being in school when typically in high school, gym is only once a week! This character makes it seem like gym is being forced upon him or her every single day when it shouldn't be, and what's worse, later on in the movie this character is admired for his or her tirade over gym- saying it was amazing of him or her to say stuff like that, like no? That's not attractive, that's petty.
The storyline is also so predictable that you wouldn't need a physic to tell you it. When you're introduced to the fact that the characters have three lives that they can lose, you know exactly what will happen next. This movie even goes out of the way for characters to die by other characters on purpose, like the two fight and one of them wants to kill the other just because they are angry. These peoples' lives on the line and they're acting so childish; I mean they are teenagers but seeing that infuriates me.
The acting was pretty good though from the main characters (not the actual kids who turn into the players) and it does poke fun at videos games which I thought was a nice touch. In addition, the ending was heartwarming as well, but this doesn't take away from the fact that I would not watch this movie ever again. At the least is was a snooze fest and at the most I wanted to yell at the screen.
Would I recommend it? No.
Would I watch it again? No.
Would I buy it on DvD? No, but the reason why I saw this was because my mom got the DvD. So I'm stuck with this movie.
Score: 1 1/2 out of 5 stars
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