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The Do-Over (2016)
Ouch
It's like the creators made a list of how many desperate shock-value things in existence they could make fun of and their goal was to check every single box. Absolutely an eye-roll and waste of time.
Miss Bala (2019)
Miss Bala
So, this is not a bad film, and it's indeed entertaining, but not for some of the reasons that a movie should be. Thing is, Gina Rodriguez is a pretty darn good actress, and I amply enjoy her performance in the TV series Jane the Virgin - I ended up liking her here, too. But other than her and Ismael Cruz Cordova, the other characters were very forgettable, the action scenes were not the focus (and clearly neither was Gloria, because "Miss Bullet" missed every bullet shot her way), and the plot had a number of holes. This isn't a bad movie to watch on a long airplane ride, and it really was nice to see Gina in something other than Jane the Virgin, but other than that, I wouldn't go out of my way to see it.
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Beauty and the Beast
Hmm... I wasn't a huge fan of Emma Watson's performance in this, and her starring in this movie is perplexing to say the least because of how it's basically a story about a bookish girl developing Stockholm syndrome, even after her father had just been abused by the man/beast she falls for. Luke Evans as Gaston and Josh Gad as LeFou were pretty decent, but still left something to be desired. Don't get me wrong, this is a charming movie at all, and I felt it did a better job at capturing the spirit of its original version than the Aladdin remake did, but it was still a bit lackluster, and very focused on visual effects.
There was, however, one major standout here, and the thing that shone brightest, by far, was Dan Stevens's portrayal of the beast. His iconic manner of speaking and moving his body as he talks spoke the loudest in this film. I hadn't seen him in any other media since Downton Abbey, and I was very impressed with how idiosyncratic he was despite his beastly transformation. So great job, Dan Stevens!
Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)
Spider-Man: Far from Home
Not bad at all. So the plot is pretty meh with it basically being Peter Parker screwing things up, but the execution was done decently. So meh plot, but good acting overall, funny humor (especially with the frantic and overenthusiastic chaperone teachers), and fantastic special effects. Seriously, hats off to the special effects team for this one. And those ending scenes were wild, and pretty much change everything - wonder what'll happen in the next movie?
Aladdin (2019)
Aladdin
This is a pretty good movie as a standalone. But as the live-action version of the beloved original Disney animation, it is sorely lacking in several areas. Firstly, the cast. For one, the whitewashing is pretty bad, such as with the actress who plays Jasmine, and her acting left a little to be desired in the way of portraying Jasmine's initial irritation with Prince Ali. I don't feel Jafar was encapsulated that well at all. The Sultan was a decent choice, and for Aladdin, Mena Massoud was pretty all right, and was at least from the correct region of the world. His singing and performance were pretty good overall, though I still felt something was missing specifically from his portrayal of Aladdin.
The worst part of this movie is it's rushed. It rushes through parts that have the most charm in the original, and Aladdin realizes the errors of his increasingly power-hungering ways far too quickly. There was also no iconic fight with Abu as Aladdin temporarily became more selfish in the original. This leaves the movie feeling like it's missing a lot of heart.
As for Will Smith as the genie... Overall, he's got the spunk for it. But not the theatrics. When he sang "You're gonna love this guy" from the song "Prince Ali", he had none of the jazz-handy finish that Robin Williams did, nor did it even feel close in a lot of moments. He certainly was not a bad choice, and hardly anyone could've done Williams's genie justice, but regardless, it is noticeable that genie just isn't as kooky as in the animated version, and it leaves the film feeling less crazy and lively.
Also, what on earth was with the dancing that genie made Aladdin do? I get it, it's modern and a joke, but break-dancing? Really? It completely ruined any immersion to see such modern takes right after what had been a more old-style dance.
The live-action version of Aladdin is neither here nor there. Ultimately, I'm not a big fan of it as an Aladdin movie, but it stands okay on its own.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Avengers: Endgame
Extremely well done. I haven't watched all the others leading up to this one, but seeing Endgame makes me want to in order to appreciate it all the more. As I was watching, I couldn't stop thinking about how massive the budget for this film must have been, and when I looked it up, I was both surprised and unsurprised simultaneously; the investment really shows. Let's hope they'll spend a good chunk of the revenue on raises for their employees now that the film is such a success, but we all know the real odds of that happening.
Kôkaku kidôtai (1995)
Ghost in the Shell
This movie takes itself way too seriously. It opens with a constant look at the main protagonist's nude body...which continues for several minutes. And then goes on during the entire length of the movie. For some reason, she has to get nude to become invisible, but - how convenient! - a male character doesn't. Any attempt made at being "deep" gets lost in the excess of what detracts from the story and the complete lack of what should be in it. The final culmination scene is a huge letdown and feels completely tacked on, especially given its puzzling short duration compared to the rest of the forced artsy and philosophical writing. I feel like this could have possibly been something, but it turns into little more than bad dialogue and an eyeroll-inducing "Would you like to see more boobs while we try to unironically describe the excess of humanity?" real quick.
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)
Bandersnatch
Fascinating concept, and the Netflix Easter egg thrown in there really makes it funnier. This seems like a very modern way to make a movie, but it won't work for most storylines or complicated scenarios. The creators of Black Mirror managed to not make the choose-your-adventure part just a gimmick, but a really useful way to tell multiple facets of a story.
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
A Clockwork Orange
Interesting and trippy movie, as well as very detailed and psychological. This movie is known for being quite violent, disturbing, and sex-filled for its time, and even for current times as well. The ending is very sudden, just like this review's.
Tangled (2010)
Tangled
This movie has a pretty weak soundtrack compared to most Disney movies. But, on the flip side, Flynn Ryder is fairly memorable, and the animation is beautiful. My main criticism is that Ryder's past and development as a character was dove into quite enough for my tastes.
Sang-eui-won (2014)
The Royal Tailor
This movie is tragic and heart-wrenching, if you let it be.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
Fairly silly but charming. Though, to be honest, Tom Cruise seemed off of his game.
Jurassic World (2015)
Jurassic World
There are baad loose ends at the end. For one of them, why is Aunt Claire all fine when it was largely her fault that so many people died? Entertaining overall, but definite has some plot holes and nonsensical acting at times.
Gwang-hae, wang-i doin nam-ja (2012)
Masquerade
Great Korean movie, fantastic writing, loved the actors, and it truly was good at being emotional!
Maggie (2015)
Maggie
Not one of Schwarzenegger's best. The movie just led up to nothingness. There was no true conflict, no true resolution; it just existed, and not in a beautiful, poetic way, but pointlessly. Nothing happened, and nothing was explained. The movie would have been much more effective and dramatic if the affliction hadn't been about zombies.
The Imitation Game (2014)
The Imitation Game
Very nice movie about solving Enigma during WWII; I loved it, and Benedict Cumberbatch did a great job as Alan Turing.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Pulp Fiction
Fantastic movie with amazing writing and acting. Truly a classic for all the right reasons. The banter between Jackson and Travolta especially was amazing.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Brokeback Mountain
Great acting from the late Heath Ledger, and Jake Gyllenhaal and he both did a great job on this memorable and groundbreaking film.
Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
Fifty Shades of Grey
Viewing this as a standalone movie with no underlying implications, I will say Fifty Shades was interesting to watch. But below that, the relations are beyond troubling and ridiculous, which I knock it 2 stars for. This movie, and especially the books, try and normalize rape instead of focusing on the acts consenting adults engage in. Christian is a complete control freak, and the movie was based off of a Twilight fanfiction; thus, he is Edward from Twilight, and the awkward and forced "romance" could hardly be more cringe-worthy.
The Interview (2014)
The Interview
Risky movie to make, but absolutely hilarious to watch.
Monkey Kingdom (2015)
Monkey Kingdom
Fun and informative, low-stress movie to watch, with good narration.
Ex Machina (2014)
Ex Machina
Haunting movie and take on machines - especially how she didn't even look at him after she had broken out - and especially in the increasingly technological world. This movie is fantastic.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Mad Max: Fury Road
One of the most engaging movies I've watched in a long while.
Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)
Far from the Madding Crowd
Very dramatic and extreme with the in-fighting, but quite interesting.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Well, well. Those two seem to get up to no good pretty fast.