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Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Crazy, creative, and deep!
I love this movie. I had to rewatch it like 3 days after the first view so I could feel it in completely.
It's the same time a great, time traveling adventure, with a bonkers plot, comedy, and some truly insane sci-fi concepts, but, most importantly, it's about love, caring about the most important people in our lives, the tiny moments, that make up our most memorable memory, and, at the end of the day... depression.
Joy is depressed, she's overwhelmed, she's lost, and for most of the movie, the most important person in her life, her mom, doesn't seem to even care, or even acknowledge her presence sometimes. It's imo, an allegory for how we are constantly splitting our focus in a dozen different stuff nowadays, tying to be everywhere, but ending up been nowhere. She is stressed, and out of her mind, that she doesn't even realize what her daughter is going through. And, in a metaphorical way, she needs a interdimensional being to cross the multiverse, for her to finalize realize, she's losing her kid and to help her.
Of course, she doesn't do it alone, and, in figure of the father, Waymond, she learns that, she has to stopping fighting people, stop trying to change people, and actually, just be kind and give your love to the ones who need it, however they might need.
So, this movie is great, I loved it, as you might have noticed. It's so smart, funny, and out of the box completely with its concept, it's breaking of the fourth wall of sorts, and playing with the audience expectations a little bit too. Everyone is great in it, specially Stephanie Hsu and Key Huy Quan, who have to play multiple versions, completely different, from the same character, and they nail every single one of them. Michelle Yeoh is also really solid here, with by far the best performance I have seen from her.
Anyways, I love how it shines a light on mental health. And, at the end of the day the message is that the world is crazy, and most days, it probably doesn't make much sense, but... so what? We should enjoy the moments that do make sense, and share the found memories we have with our love ones.
To sum up, Everything Everywhere All At Once, is a great movie, with a complex story, with some serious underlining themes going on, if you want to see it, but at the same time, manages to be a crazy, and innovative movie about multiverses, with great action scenes, production value, and creative. Loved it, and highly recommend watching it. I would sum it up as Pixar movie, but in live action, and that, for me, it's one of the highest complements I could give a movie.
See for Me (2021)
Awful
The movie started like a mediocre, predictable story you could probably know where it was going. But slowly starts to evolve into a worst and worst movie.
I will be concise, but I just found a really weird choice, to have your main character, literally make a deal with the robbers, cause she wants some of the money they are stealing from a innocent woman... and still ask the audience to care about what happens to her, after that goes south. How are we supposed to care?
The acting in the movie is fine, and I thought the cinematography for the first half is actually pretty good, the locations are gorgeous. That been said, the third act, you... just can't see what the hell is going on in the screen (and I was in a movie theater!) is just awful, one of the worst handling of lights I have ever seen in a movie.
There isn't much to say, the movie is bad, it has way too much "tiny stuff that doesn't make sense" that will take it all of the story completely, it has a plot that isn't really that smart, with some story beats you can see coming miles away, and a truly horrible climax, where you literally can't see a thing on screen.
The Adam Project (2022)
Fun, and surprisingly touching at times
I will be short on this one, I really enjoyed the movie. The actors are all so charismatic (I really liked. Scobell's performance, and I'm excited to see him as the new Percy Jackson!), the story it's a fun sci-fi adventure, but at the same time deals a lot with family trauma, and has some emotional scenes, mostly when characters are able to some what correct errors of the past, or have a second shot with a loved one.
Overall tho, yes, one could nitpick the plot to death mostly likely, it's hard to do a plot holesses time travel movie, but I respect that the movie doesn't even try to explain certain paradox that the time travel element would have created, so I wont go into those details, I respect if you think that makes the movie worst, but at the end of the day I had fun, and I was okay with ignoring some stuff.
The CGI to de-age the main villain is... rough tho, I mean, Jesus, that took me out of the movie every time. I rather go the route of taking a younger actress and having make up on her in the future scenes, and herself as the past version, than doing this...
Still, I really enjoyed the movie, the action scenes are great, Ryan Reynolds is, as always, really funny (and we even got a Deadpool reference I guess? "Superhero landing", which was cool), the movie has a good pace that doesn't make you look away at any point, and a good satisfying conclusion. Really really solid.
Turning Red (2022)
"Nothing stays the same forever"
I had a pretty unique experience with the movie. I thought the first third of the film had a not-so-subtle message. Don't get me wrong, I love Pixar movies mostly cause they manage to be a fun, and joyful experience for kids, but also a thoughtful and emotional metaphoric driven experience to adults. And at the end of the day, I love all the subjects, like anxiety, anger, jealously and all the other emotions a teenager starts to be wrap into after a certain age. Still, I thought they didn't do a great job of having a more subtle message, instead of "yeah, she's a big red monster now... and her mother brought her a pad".
However, as the story kept going, I was more and more involved into it, and at the end, the gut punch, in what already is one of my favorite lines ever in a movie "And yeah... sometimes I miss how things were, but nothing stays the same forever". I mean, c'mon!!! This got me good, real good. And I feel most people 20y+ will probably feel the same.
Anyways, I thing the movie is pretty good, as always Pixar manages to tell a story that will entertain most kids, and basically leave all adults watering at the end. And I will never get tire of this formula. Keep it up.
The Batman (2022)
Best Batman movie ever? Idk, who cares? This was amazing
Over the past week I've seen a lot of people calling this the best BATMAN movie ever made. And well, as an insanely huge Dark Knight fan, I was a bit skeptical at first, but after my second viewing, I get it.
Don't get me wrong, I think Dark Knight is one of the best movies (not superhero movies, movies period.) ever made. And I also love BvS, but that's a whole other story. But at the end of the day, even tho Batman's arc in Dark Knight is great, and the finale is just perfection, Ledger's Joker is what really puts the movie in an all-time great level, it's more about the duality of Batman and Joker's relationship, than exclusive about the dark knight himself. This is not it tho, The Batman is... a movie about Batman, not even Bruce Wayne. Bruce barely exists in this movie, Bruce is the mask, like almost never before, Batman is the real being here existing, he's barely a man for most of the movie, a shell of himself without the suit, and I loved every freaking minute of it.
That all been said, I do not want to discuss "this is better than this other movie", screw that, my DC knows how to make Batman movies, and that's all I care about, trying to take away another story's greatness by comparing it with something else is stupid, and that's all I will say about that.
The Batman is great tho, as I said, the movie focus on the bat, and what two years in the streets turned Bruce Wayne into, and I love that it manages to do that, while been probably the first real movie about the greatest detective of the DC universe. He finally does detective stuff here! In fact, for most of the movie, we get a real mind game between Batman and the Riddler.
That's also another great thing, good God... Paul Dano is a beast, the dude is sooooo good here. My only complaint about the Riddler is that we get very few scenes with him and Batman interacting, I get why, and I get that this is the goal here, but still, the one scene we got of them face to face was so good, that got me wanting more.
And for that matter, they nailed every single villain in here. The Penguin is amazing, I wont lie, Colin Farrell was probably the casting choice I was more skeptical about, I don't really love him as an actor, but the dude completely transformed himself for this, the makeup is great, his personality... his voice! The way he walks, is all perfect, and I can't wait to see more of the character.
Catwoman is awesome too! I love how her silhouette looks like a literal shot taken from the comics, the costume is great (even tho I wish they just did the freaking cat mask for once), and Zoe Kravitz is... just amazing, she is the embodiment of the character.
Another one of my favorite things about the film (there are so many!) is Batman's relationship with Gordon, they are basically bbf's, the movie starts that way, and I loved it. Jeffrey Wright is perfect in the role, and his trust on our favorite bat is clear in every scene. With one of my favorite scenes in the movie been the one in the precinct.
And, Andy Serkis is really good as Alfred too, even tho he doesn't have much to do in the movie. I wish we got more from their relationship, but I love that little moment of angry and despair in the car, where Batman is trying to reach him to warn about the bomb, and in a split second you can see as much emotion as you will see in any scene in the movie, he's helpless, and he's terrified he will lose the one person he still cares about in the world. That's the core of Batman and Alfred's relationship (and with the Robins too), and I absolutely adore that little scene for that reason.
To sum up, The Batman instantly became one of my favorite Batman movies ever. Is it the best? I absolutely do not care, but I love it. Bruce is the mask here up until the end of the movie, at the end, we get a realization that most Batman take a while to have, been vengeance isn't enough, that won't chance the city, that won't make things better, he needs to be more, he needs to provide hope to a scarred city, and he will do that, he will be better. The movie shows us a young Batman, that makes mistakes (like been blown out by a bomb, and been vulnerable in a police station), he's growing, and he's learning, and that's awesome.
As I watched the end of the movie, blown away by the awesomeness of it all, I came up with the only possible realization about this Batman: He needs a Robin. He needs the batfamily, that's the only way he can be more, the only way he can be happy again. And I cannot wait to see that.
Nevertheless, Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson, we got more than my attention now, you got my admiration, and I'm excited as hell, to see what you do with the character next. Thanks for this, DC.
Other random thoughts:
I absolutely adore the first scenes in the movie, where you see that even the signal brings people fear, bad guys look at the dark and get scare, even tho Batman isn't even there, that was... something. Chills, literal chills.
The chase scene with the Penguin might be my single favorite sequence in the entire movie, is breathtaking, is so amazingly shot, the score... my God, the score!! Everything is perfect, from Penguin's reaction, to Batman walking towards the car with flames in the background.
The scene with... what we know now was the Joker (Reeves confirmed) is... good, I won't lie I got chills. But deep inside, I wish they didn't make him the villain in the next one, there are so many great storylines waiting to be told, and we've seen so much of the Joker lately... maybe we should give that a break? At least wait until the third movie.
Oh... once again, he needs a Robin. Please, Matt Reeves, make it happen, let's do a proper representation of the batfamily on the big screen for once. Please!
Licorice Pizza (2021)
An odd but engaging love story
I really like the movie. I love the world we are introduced to, it's so immersive, and the design of it all to feel like the 70's is perfect. The soundtrack is soooo good, really really good. And, probably my favorite thing about the movie, the performances, this dude, Cooper Hoffman, my jaw dropped when I saw that this is his first role ever, on a screen, he is so good here. And if I understood correctly this is also Alana Haim's first role in a movie too, and she is also great. For the secondary characters, Bradley Cooper's little cameo almost is awesome, he is so over the top, it's clear that he's having so much fun here.
The two protagonists have so much chemistry, from the first scene, you them to be together, even tho there is a weird age thing going on there.
And my only complaint it's probably, that the story takes a lot of "similar" turns through, it shifts like 34 times from "well, they are doing well, there is chemistry", from "so... here we go again, he/she just left, for... some reason". Also, that whole scene with the police was... weird, for a second it felt like the movie was going one direction but then... nope, just kidding. Overall, I like the romance, but I felt like if the story had minus one of those turns, it would have been near perfect. Pretty good overall tho, highly recommend.
7,5/10.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
As George Lucas used to say: "Star Wars is poetry". And, yes, TLJ is poetry!
Ok, the first time I watched the movie I left the theater truly conflicted, I was angry, sad, mad, and many other things. It was a mix of love and angry, for all that had happened. I really wasn't prepared to Luke's death (even with everyone saying it would happen). But, after some days of reflection, I saw the movie two more times, and now I'm finally prepare to talk about it.
First things first, the opening scene is already amazing. That whole space battle, with the bombers and the x-wings in a way reminded me the opening scene of Episode III (and I love Episode III), sure, it maybe isn't intentional, but is interesting to see that slowly the prequels are being embraced by Disney (there is also a Darth Sidious quote, and that gave me goosebumps).
The little detail of Paige necklace, when the ship blows up it's also very subtle and makes a huge difference, when we see Rose for the first time, in just one frame you understand the emotional journey she's going through in that moment.
But, inside that I think that the weakest part of the movie lives on. And that is the Canto Bight scenes, plot, and etc. It didn't bother me much as bother some people, but ok, I get it, that the movie lost itself there at some point, before getting back in track again.
One thing that TLJ can't be judge is for not be ballsy, it was a crucial point for some people in TFA, but not here, the movie take risks all the time.
Poe's journey is one of the ballsiest things in the movie, usually, you have in a movie one young character full of ideas, making a contrast with others "old and stubborn" characters, that don't hear the young guy, and, in the end, the big plan that the young guy does (without knowledge of the older characters) saves the day, and everyone needs to apologize. But, no, they don't do that here, and to me, this is something so strong, creates a learning journey so impactful and beautiful for the character, that now on will probably learn from this mistake.
But, let's talk about what really matters right now. MY GOD! Look, the best definition for Rey/Luke/Kylo storylines is: Definitely isn't the movie that I wanted, but was the movie that I needed (and didn't know). I even don't know where to start, there are some many beautiful scenes, the Yoda cameo, was so surprising and gorgeous, I got surprised and screamed with emotion "OMG! IT'S YODA!", and everything is made in a way that is so loyal to everything that these characters are, even the fact that they clearly use the puppet Yoda from Empire (at least in the majority of the scenes) is genius, the photography of the scene, his interaction with Luke, it seems like that suddenly we are back again in Episode V. Beautiful.
The chemistry between Kylo Ren and Rey is one of my favorite things too. In fact, Kylo is definitely my favorite character of this new trilogy. The uncommon conflict that he lives everyday make the character so complex and with a lot of layers. Even being of the dark side, you still can understand some of his point of view, understand his conflict and, in a way, sympathize with him. The scene that Rey talks with him after went to the cave and didn't find how her parents are is extremely powerful, with a huge emotional weight, that connects both characters in such intimate and natural way, after all, she was feeling alone, went to the island to find Luke and get some help, and he definitely was not what she was looking for. Make sense she appeals to Kylo, doesn't? The scene is fantastic.
The moment that we find out what really happened with the new Jedi Temple is also very powerful too. I thought a lot about that scene, and all that it represents to Luke Skywalker's history, and, I came to a conclusion: In the end of the day, it matches with the character, doesn't? After all, he didn't want to murderer Ben, the thought pass through his mind, act as a impulse (and this is something that Luke always was, impulsive), and regretted right away, but, was already too late, our hero made a mistake, like almost every Jedi before him, because, at the end of the day, they are humans, and humans make mistakes.
Oh! What about the Kylo/Rey/Snoke scene?! What a beautiful thing! First, because of the amazing mind blowing moment when Snoke dies, there, in that way, second, because KYLO REN KILLS HIM! And this is definitely one of the things that I like most about the movie, as the title here already says, George Lucas himself always talked about how Star Wars is poetry, with rhymes, echos that tend to repeat themselves across history. And we see that in some subtle little things (or not) around the entire movie, like Kylo killing Snoke (just like Vader killed the Emperor), the conversation that Rey and Kylo have in the elevator (Ok, here clearly was on purpose, it's IDENTICAL to the scene from Return of the Jedi, but still is gorgeous), Snoke showing the resistance fleet being destroyed, and a lot of other things, that some people might say that is a copy (as they said about TFA), but, to me is pure poetry, the soul of the franchise since the very beginning, a magical thing. At the end, you are like "OMG! What now? Is he going to chance sides?" and the conclusion is amazing, he is always on his side, of course, he did that also because he didn't want Snoke to kill her, anyways, no matter what meaning you give to that, it just makes the character even more complex, and I love that.
And what about the fight? With Rey and Kylo co-op against the royal guards? A M A Z I N G ! One of the best action scenes of all the Star Wars movies until this point, even the fight styles, both of them, said so much about each character personality, their conflicts, it's just fantastic.
And we got to the end, and what an ending my friends, what an ending! The first time I saw it, I was just pissed off about Luke's death, but, seeing the movie again I changed my mind, I accepted the death. Ok, you can say that they (Disney) are killing all the old characters, changing everything and creating their own franchise. Ok, this is probably true, but, is that a bad thing? The way that Luke dies is such a beautiful and respectful moment, it refers to a lot of other things inside the saga, and shows that who is taking care of the movies is doing in the right way, is concerned with the fans, the previous histories and all that this franchise represents. Are they making profit with that? Hell ya, they are, but is still doing with respect.
The two suns clearly referring to Tatooine (is even possible to see a tine point in the sun, when the camera get closer, as if it were a ship - like in Episode IV), the way that Luke goes remember the way that Yoda goes in Episode VI (tired, exhausted, but in peace) AND the way that Obi-Wan goes in Episode IV (when he, in a certain way, "choose" to die in that moment, in order to do one last "heroic act"). Is it sad? Definitely. Is that the Luke that I imagined/wanted for this movie? Nope. But, is that a bad thing? Not necessarily.
Yes, I confess, that I left the theatre on the "denial phase", I just did not accepted and was pissed off, but after, I stopped, and thought (and I suggest you to do the same), and reached a conclusion that, in some point of this new trilogy Luke would have to die, his journey already passed, was already told. And, between all the possibilities, the one that they choose is one of the prettiest.
Another thing that bother me the first time I saw, I was thinking for some days: Luke fails. Is that hard to think about? That our childhood hero at the end of the day fails on build the new Jedi Order? Fails with his sister? With his nephew? Yes, and these thoughts break my heart. But, what comfort my heart is that: Which Jedi didn't fail? As Luke says at some point in the movie, the Jedi's arrogance since the beginning was their ruin, and this is another argument that base the idea that the Order needs to be rebuild, from the ashes.
The movie's final scene is also pretty powerful, a gorgeous message. Through the entire movie is said that "all hope is gone", "we need Luke Skywalker to bring the hope back", but with the final scene, is like if the universe said "the hope still right here, in all the places, you just need look more, it's in the most unexpected places", and this refers also to the Rey's parents thing, she came from "nowhere" and this also shows that the force isn't something connects to the genes or anything like that. It's beautiful.
Ok, yes, some other things still let me a little disappointed with the movie, I wish I had seen a scene where Luke fought FOR REAL, and showed all his power, and why he is the most powerful Jedi that ever lived. But at least he did something, no one had ever done before, and I hope that they don't mess with that, that not even Rey or Kylo ever do something like that, moreover, I hope they TELL US in some moment (in a dialogue) how badass, and difficult was what Luke did on that day.
The fact that Anakin's saber broke at the end is also something that in a way let me kind of sad, and refers to that other thing that a said before "are they ending with everything and creating their franchise?" (I already answered that question), but in this case, I think that wasn't something that had to be done (break the saber), come on, what will cost to continuing with the saber? I know that the scene has a symbology too, is the status-quo breaking point, the death of the old thing, the old behaviors, the rebirth of the Jedi Order, but yes, still let me mad.
Well, all that being said, in short , TLJ is pure poetry, has the balls to do some bold choices in MANY parts of the history, but, at the same time, has the Star Wars' soul there, behind the "echoes" that George Lucas always talked about it, and mainly, open the door to the future of the saga in the screen, that I hope will last many years. Best movie of the year. One of my favorites Star Wars movies ever.
Love and Monsters (2020)
Really, really good
I went to this movie, sort of expecting another one of those typical "post-apocalyptic teenage movies", and sure, there is some of that here, mainly with the "Love" side of the title, but even with that, the movie surprised me a lot.
The concept might be the best thing, even tho the "reason" for the animals to become giants is a bit... lazy, that aside, I found the concept fascinating, and I honestly, hadn't seen anything like it anywhere else. It's pretty scary, and from the jump, in an oddly fun way, we are set up in a pretty frightening but intriguing world, that afterwards, becomes a lot sadder when you realize what most of those characters had gone through. So, yeah, I found the world, and the story fascinating, and I thought they actually did a pretty good job on setting up stuff, and that paying off afterwards. Of course, there are a lot of mysteries still hanging in the air, like, what's up with the previous owner of Boy? Is she dead? Is there really a huge colony on the mountains? What's up in the rest of the world? I think you got the point, but still, the script is well written and I think it explores a bunch of the world and it's a nice and round tour to this world.
After seen the movie I keep remembering and sort of comparing it to "Chaos Walking", I've seen it recently, and I also thought it had a great concept, but instead, they don't exactly explore the world around it that much, and at the end you feel like you could have gotten more, and maybe even should have, but here they have a great mix of having a focal point and exploring "the" journey (to a certain extend), but alongside it you are able to learn a lot about the world, and you feel as if you are really having a big picture view everywhere you go with Joel, the same probably can't be said for Chaos Walking, even tho I liked the movie overall, this one is much better imo and it reaches way more of its potential than the other.
Dylan O'Brien is pretty good, he's really charismatic, and I liked him since Maze Runner, so it's awesome to see him again in another good lead of an apocalyptic story. You feel for him, you feel his evolution through the story, and his development is, kind of awesome and super well-crafted imo. The journey of realizing that he had the right people around him all the time, but also finding the courage he needed through this journey to save and probably give a better life to the ones he loves is pretty cool. His relationship with Boy is great as well.
My biggest issue with the movie tho, might be the romantical part, like, from the jump I knew this thing wouldn't end well, and like, sure, I get it, and it was obvious that she would have had found someone during this 7 year, buuut, why the hell the kiss at the end tho? That was sort of a detriment to the whole point made earlier, and I get it, post-apocalyptic world, people are horny af probably, but idk, it felt sort of pointless to make a huge thing out of "oh Joel, I found someone else and he died" just to kiss him 15 minutes afterwards. That's probably the only part I felt could have been handled way better.
Besides that, I loved his relationship with Clyde and Minnow, it's super cute, I liked that he discovers that, some of the animals are just... not a threat at all and there is probably a possibility of co-existing with them, and overall I just liked the little things they set up through the film, and brought back afterwards, like the poisoned fruit, the eyes stuff. Oh, well, I just hopped they trusted the audience a bit more and stopped, cutting back to a voice over or an actual flashback of something we... just heard or saw, we know guys, we are actually smart enough. Still the set ups are pretty good, even with that.
Also, give me a sequel with more Michael Rooker in it, please. And also the girl, Arian Greenblatt is actually pretty awesome in this, I thought she was really good, did a great job for a young actor, and had great chemistry with Michael Rooker, you really bought that they were probably on that journey for a while already.
So, to sum up, Love and Monsters is a really good movie, with an awesome, exciting and new concept, that keeps you engaged from the jump, with a good and charismatic lead you care for and roots for the entire time, with a lot of complex characters along the way, and a light of hope at the end of the tunnel, and well, a good learning experience about appreciating what you haver around you (oddly enough). The romance doesn't land as well as they probably hoped for, but still, I get why is there. All in all, it's a really good movie, worth checking out.
First Blood (1982)
Powerful message
I can't believe it took me so long to see this movie. I can't think of a lot of negatives to say, honestly.
The story has an incredible pace, the scenes are raw and impactful, you are at the same time scared of Rambo, and feel really sorry for him, you can see him in your nightmares, but also wants to hug him and tell the Sheriff to f#$% off.
The score is suspenseful, and helps a lot in many scenes, like the one when he's escaping from the mine, or even the chase scenes in the first half.
Stallone is... just amazing here, mainly cause of the final monologue, I knew there was "something" at the end people said it was impactful, but man... my jaw dropped during the scene, is incredible.
For real tho, the final monologue from Rambo, might be one of the greatest scenes I've ever seen in an action movie, ever.
This is honestly a near perfect movie imo, it's literally 90 minutes long, and they go as fast as a bullet, the pace is insanely good, the character is relatable, and well, the message is clear and powerful, it's an "anti-war" movie in a lot of ways, but it tells its message through the lens of the soldier, rather than the civilians, it explores so much of how it can literally break a person, and well, mainly related to the US and the Vietnam war, a lot of times these people will come back... and be left to die by the world around them.
It's complex, and there is a ton to unpack here, and, well, I probably don't have much more to add, the movie is almost 40 years old, and therefore there are a lot of more in depth analyses about it, and all its underlining themes out there, who do it way more justice that I could ever do, so I won't even attempt it.
So, to sum up, the movie is great, it has a lot really impressive stunts, the action get's you on the edge of your sit, as do the suspenseful scenes, the acting is pretty good, but mainly Stallone is great. At the end of it all, my jaw had dropped, and I had to think about it for a while. Between all the great action and suspense, there is a real issue been approached, with a complex and powerful message told through the exploration of the effects of war in the mind of a soldier. Either way, it's a hell of a movie, a must see to every movie fan out there, and I'm sad it took me so long to see it, but also happy I finally saw it.
Army of the Dead (2021)
Fun and entertaining for the most part
I love Zack Snyder, I loved most of his films (mostly the DC based ones), and well, this movie isn't perfect, but I had a lot of fun, and I think most people that are fans of the genre will be able to watch it and enjoyed.
That been said I believe that some elements prevented me to like the movie even more. First, the characters don't exactly have that much into them, under the surface, Dave Batista and his daughter are definitely the more flashed out ones, but after them, it's almost the classic "let's give each one of the characters a 'thing' that will make them... characters". Still, that could be better for sure, but doesn't make the movie unwatchable by any means.
The run time could be a little bit shorter, I think that might take away some of the "it's a fun movie, you can just put and enjoy" element of it, cause, well the movie is 2h30 hours long, and that's lot. Besides that the only other point that, took me a bit out of the movie at times was the element of having some scenes almost entirely out of focus, I thought it was kind of weird that, you get it in some scenes (mainly during the first half of the movie it seems), and others are in a completely different style and feel, idk, it just took me out of the movie a bit.
That been said, the movie is really fun, I love most of the cast, Batista is a pretty good lead, and has a lot of charisma, Zack always gives us great visuals for the most part (the opening scene in slow motion is pretty awesome), and well, the concept of having a close and "trapped" environment with zombies for years, and how that would affect the world around it in some ways is fascinating.
Pretty good, with a lot of gore (if you like that kind of stuff, idk if I do that much), cool concepts, good visuals, and the care and heart Zack put in all of his movies. Worth checking out.
6,5/10.
Chaos Walking (2021)
Fascinating concept, that's not as well explored as it could have been, but still pretty decent
When I first about this movie I was like "well, cool, two actors I like, in a sci-fi? Sign me up", but then, I ultimately saw the bad rating everywhere and I almost didn't even watch it. But well, screw it, I might as well give it a shot. And honestly, I thought it was pretty decent.
First things first, the acting is pretty great, I love Tom Holland, and as always, I think he is pretty charismatic as the lead, you feel his emotion, he is funny, you feel he's constant confused and bothered by the whole noise thing, and well, he's a good and likeable lead. And Daisy Ridley is also pretty good in it too, also charismatic, you feel she is scared, even tho she is also kind of a badass, and well, for the most part I don't think the characters or the performances here are like masterclass or anything, but these are two great actors, giving pretty solid performances. Mads Mikkelsen is also great, as always too.
I also liked the score.
And well, I believe that the thing I liked the most was the concept of the story itself, it's actually pretty unsettling and fascinating idea... like you sort of understand what living hell must have been for both man (who literally couldn't have privacy with their thoughts anymore) and woman... who, well, had to live with all the noise and I'm sure hearing the disturbing thoughts from them constantly, and ended up been brutally murdered by the man, but well, I mean, you even understand why they went nuts and killed every single woman here, this would be a constant nightmare for everywhere, and it's totally believe people would literally go insane. Anyways, I loved how much I was fascinating by the concept.
Also, I liked the world they've built too, I'm always a big fan of a new and different sci-fi that tries to create its own world and mythology, like you feel there is so much more under the surface we don't actually get to see, and that constantly got me invested.
But well, it isn't perfect, if I had to say my main issue with it, it would have been that they actually didn't explore enough of the world around them, and just stayed with the "quest" of bringing Viola back to her ship. The whole relationship between the cities, or even how the people actually live their lives there it's fascinating, as well as the why humans would have gone that far to create a colony? Did something happened to earth? I mean, so many questions, and it's a shame we won't probably see a sequel to it.
Also, after writing most of the review, I actually went and saw some reviews of the movie, to see what people were actually complaining about, and well, I get the points, and I believe they sort of aligned with what I said was my main issue with the film, but well, I thought the positives overall overcame the cons, and even tho I think is fair to say the movie could have been much more, I'm ok with what we got.
So, the movie isn't perfect, and it would have been cool if they had explore more of the world they settled up, but overall, I thought it was pretty decent, I loved the concept of it, I will admit that I almost got to the point where I was annoyed by the noise, but I would also guessed that was the goal of the movie, and well, there are some pretty funny moments we get from the situation (like Todd clearly crushing on Viola - can't blame him - and not been able to hide it).
To sum up, Chaos Walking is a fairly decent movie imo, it has a fascinating concept, with good acting, good soundtrack, and got me entertained for almost 2 hours. Overall, it could have definitely explored its world better, and showed more of this colony and how everything works, but still, it's a good story, with a fairly simple quest that gets you involved for the duration of it.
The White Tiger (2021)
I like the concept, but the execution didn't land for me
I think the concept and the idea behind the story was pretty interesting tbh, I don't really know much about India's culture, so a lot of stuff about social inequality and the hierarch was interesting to see for sure. I also think the movie is pretty well acted for the most part, giving what the actors were given.
But, well, the execution didn't quit landed for me. I thought the narration aspect of it got really really tiring after not much time at all. As a whole I think using narration in film can be tricky, in some situations I really love it, and in others it feels like an easy way out, for when you don't exactly know how to show the audience what the characters are feeling.
And well I thought the result here, for the most part, was a pretty convoluted movie, with so much exposition at all times from the main character, basically narrating the entire story for us. Like, for real, for the first hour of the movie, it felt like there wasn't a 5-minute period where the voice over didn't show up to explain what was happening on screen. And that lost me pretty much entirely tbh.
So, to sum up, I don't think there is much more I wanted to say, the acting is good, the cinematography and stuff is fine too, I like the concept, but the way the movie was structured just lost me for the most part, it felt distant, and most of the time, a some what easy way to tell what the character was literally thinking, instead of treating the audience like smarter people, and just letting us figure it out for ourselves. Also, was he really writing an e-mail to the Chinese president admitting he committed a murder?
Jiu Jitsu (2020)
I have no idea what happened here
I often like to watch trash/bad movies for fun, but man... I had literally no idea what was happening during 90% of this movie.
I won't take too long here, but almost everything is bad, the story doesn't make sense... the alien has a fetish on fighting humans? The acting is bad, and well, they sell you on a classic Nic Cage bad movie, but he's barely in the movie.
Pretty awful. I will give them some credit tho, cause they try to use some different camera styles on the fighting scenes, and well, in some of them the choreography isn't horrible, still, there are so many of them you easily get tired of watching.
To sum up, a bad bad movie, there isn't much here that's worth giving a shot.
Druk (2020)
A truly different and fascinating concept
It's a pretty interesting movie, with an interesting concept (that I truly considered could be valid before googling it after finishing the movie lol), and it's overall beautifully shot, with great acting, cinematography and soundtrack.
The camera is mainly hand held I would assume, so it gives you a fairly fluid effect throughout, and mainly on the drunk scenes I think it positively affects the experience of the movie itself overall.
Mads Mikkelsen is just a phenomenal actor, and it shows here every freaking scene, he's great, all the four protagonists of sorts are really good in here, as is Maria Bonnevie as Martin's wife too. So, the cast is pretty solid overall.
The story tho, I'm a bit conflicted, for most of it I loved the story, and I thought it had gotten the message it was trying to pass, however, after the movie is over, I don't really know.
Cause, well, they drink, it sort of helps mainly Martin at first, but, of course he exceeds himself and losses it, as do his friends, they stop, but Tommy isn't able to, and that is clearly what kills him, Martin gets a text from his wife, saying she misses him too, implying Martin has a chance to get his family back... but then they are all drinking and partying like crazy again, in what I assume is still during the day of Tommy's funeral, so... what is the message here? Like, we see the characters go through hell cause of their bad choices, then we root for them, we want them to get better, their friend just died, and here they are getting wasted again? I just find it hard to understand the characters motivation at the end, and it feels a bit like wasted time when at the end of the story, you feel like the characters learned nothing.
I had an amicable debate with a friend about the movie afterwards, and well, he strongly defended the story, and the finale for the most part, saying it was actually supposed to be a critic on Danish culture, and the fact that they drink like crazy. And well, fine, ok, I get that, I can see it, and I respect it and like most of the stuff they putted in here as a clear critic. However, still, imo what Martin does at the end, in a lot of ways sorts of denies most of the stuff we thought he had learned throughout the story. And as I said, it feels tough to relate to a character we feel should have learned a lot from the experience he just had, but apparently didn't.
Still, I think the movie has a great cinematography, it's pretty well directed and has great performances all throughout, it's definitely worth watching, but the end sort of ruined what I thought would be one of my favorite movies of 2020.
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
A great character piece
Let's start from the beginning, I love the atmosphere of the movie, the score is amazing, and the pace is really good too, it's for the most part a fast pace movie, which sort of aligns with music, creating a nice rhythm to it all.
After seem it and researching it a bit more, I saw that it was adapted from a play, which makes sense in retrospect.
I love how it deals with a bunch of different strong themes, like prejudice, the place of religion, and even blues on the life of black people back in the 20s. Prejudice is always a tough subject to address, but I thought they handled it beautifully, mainly through the monologues from Levee and Ma, there are at least 2 from Levee that are beautifully shot, act and written, and one from Ma, and they are by far one of the main highlights of the movie imo.
And of course, at its core, besides all the critics it does to society at that time, and brings up truly scary issues and situations people had to go through daily, it's a character piece. As a play usually does, it has many monologues that allow the audience to connect with the character, and, most important, just appreciate the insanely good performances
I mean, for real, Chadwick Boseman is... freaking unbelievable here, I loved every single one of the performances nominated for best actor this year, but, I mean, I have no doubt Chadwick gave the best one by a mile, he's so good, and, well, it's just a shame this is the last one we will see from him, but I'm glad we did see it, and that was definitely a fitting last performance, from an incredible actor.
And also, Viola Davis, she oddly isn't in the movie that much, but man, she steals the scene every time she is in, she is incredible, once again, and alongside Boseman, is the highlight of the movie imo.
The entire cast is pretty good actually, from the supporting actors, Glynn Turman is probably the one that shines the most, but Colman Doming is pretty solid in here too, and Jeremy Shamos is good as well.
That been said, I have a weird relationship with the movie. Cause, as you can see, there is a hell lot of things I simply adored about the film, but I found some issues in other parts of it for sure. Idk if it's the fact that it was adapted from a play or what, but, I get the addressed bigger issue here, I get the character exploration (mostly through the performances, but still), I get all that, but... if it wasn't for Viola and Chadwick here, I wouldn't had been as invested as I was in the story, cause, there isn't really that much happening here, besides understanding the surroundings of the characters, and the social critics, not much really happens to the characters themselves. So, I sort of understand the "nothing really happens" argument I bet some people will use to criticize the movie.
On the other hand, I love Levee as a character, and that he represents the impact prejudice and society can have on a person, at his core, with all the trauma and family lost he had at a young age, he only has the music to support him, and when that gets taken from him, he has nothing. The door stuff, as explained by the director in the mini documentary to Netflix, is as well a metaphor for that, with him struggling to open it, with the "promise of something" (as the white guy that runs the studio promised him), and then, when he opens it... is a dead end. But then again, I would have loved to see a bit more of that, and him killing his colleague in the last 10 minutes of the movie seemed a bit out of left field, and a hard turn, even tho I get that the message was "he lost everything, and now he is not himself anymore".
There are at some point some weird transitions as well, mainly in the beginning, like the one with Toledo just singing out of the blue, without apparently no one else in the room, after Levee's first monologue.
Well, to sum up, Ma Raine's Black Bottom is a great character piece, that's elevated by two outstanding performances from Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis, I love the underlying message the movie has, and the metaphors from Levee's character through black people's struggle with prejudice since forever, and also, it's pretty cool to get to know such an important historic figure to music like Ma Raine. Still, the movie might not appeal to everybody with it's play structure, that at times, may make you feel like nothing is truly happening, and also, one could argue that if you take out the insanely good performances from both actors, the movie loses most of its appeal for sure. All in all, it's definitely a must see.
Sound of Metal (2019)
Immersive
The acting is amazing, Riz Ahmed simply destroys here, and Olivia Cooke is very very good too, in limited time she is on screen.
But probably the main point I have to highlight about the movie is the sound mixing/design... like, this might be the first time I see a movie and go "holy cow the sound design is amazing". The way it helps the movie explore the struggle of hearing lost so well is unbelievable, you feel Ruben's pain, you understand what he's going through, and you want him to get better, but fist and foremost, you feel scare for him, thinking how hard that would be. Also, of course, you appreciate and respect the hell of the deaf community for fighting and prospering beautifully through all this difficulty.
I love how the movie shows his evolution throughout, and also, the subtitles, where they only appear after Ruben learns sign language, so for half of the movie, those who don't understand sign language just have no idea what they are saying, like Ruben doesn't too. And the ending shows that evolution of the character perfectly, after trying to again, go back to something he already lost entirely, he just accepts life for what it is... and the result is a calm and beautiful world around him. So, the ending scene is great
All that been said, I don't think the movie is perfect, I have a couple of problems with the story arc overall... like, the hearing implant, wouldn't anyone tell him beforehand the thing wasn't the same as the regular hearing? That's such a crucial point in the story, and the impact we as the audience feel, when we hear what he's hearing... but, in a real-life situation, how likely would it be, that the dude would spend 40k+ and... nobody would tell him that it wouldn't sound like his "regular hearing" sounded? I mean, c'mon.
I also didn't understand what exactly did Lou's video made him think... cause it's once again, a big turning point in the story arc, he's fine, he's happy for the first time in a while, and then he sees the video... and wants to sell his stuff. At first, I thought Lou was like homeless or something, doing gigs in the street to pay the bills or something... but she's clearly not, and he knew that. So... what's the deal with the video? Did he just missed playing with her? Idk.
Still, the movie is pretty, it's really immersive, and it gets you through this difficult and long journey alongside Ruben, which is amazing to see and experience.
Promising Young Woman (2020)
Stylistic, with a dark and impactul issue adressed
This movie is just insanely good. In a sad/dark way, it's for 70% of the time a "oh my God, the world is full of jerks" mind boggling good kind of movie. But, good Lord, the movie is awesome.
Ok, I will try to call down a bit. Let's start this.
First, just the atmosphere of the movie is incredible, the use of color most of the time, makes you feel like they are jumping out of the screen, and you just get transport into the world from the jump. Great cinematography, as really most of this year's Oscars nominated are, but with its own and unique style that I loved.
The acting is phenomenal, Carey Mulligan... man, I mean, she's fantastic. You feel the weight of Nina's story from the first times she is mentioned in a conversation, just through Carey's performance here, you are, as the jerks in the bar, easily fooled into thinking she's really drunk in the first scene of the movie, all throughout you get at the same time empathic for her, but you are also scared to death lol. Such a well written character, with so many layers to it. Amazing.
And honestly, pretty much everyone here is great, Alison Brie is awesome as always, Alfred Molina, and even McLovin himself, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, is here, been awesome. Great cast.
Bo Burnham tho is also amazing, and his character in a weird way, sort of is a mix of most of the things about this movie that got into my core the most (in a good way). Cause, for the most part of the movie, you really like him, he's a great dude, you are happy they are happy, and, well, I will have to say pretty early on I was like "yep, he's gonna be involved in the raped in some way", but man, it's just heartbreaking when you see the finale plays out the way it does, that, with Cassandra been killed is just like "holy moly, we do really live in this world, right?". And it's a gut punch, but I know that was the point of the whole story, and well, they couldn't have done it better.
At the end of the day, the movie's story is powerful, it manages to throw a light in... well, how messed up the world can be constantly, if you really stop and think about it. It has such a freaking bittersweet ending, cause, well, she's murdered, I think Nina... killed herself? That's at least implied, basically every single man there is a sexual predator or something similar, but, it manages to also leave a little bit of hope at the end of the tunnel, cause, they are almost certainly all arrested at the end, which is great, and through the Molina's character, that doesn't really have that much screen time, the message is like "ok, you will probably never be able to repair the mess you made, but that doesn't mean you can't regret it, pay for what you've done, and start been a better person moving forward". Which is honestly all we can hold on to, while thinking about the things this movie makes us think, we can do our part, impact people positively so they do their part, and hope that, even the jerks out there, at some point become a better person, hopefully at a point when it isn't too late.
So, yeah, the movie talks about some really screwed up stuff, but it manages to keep you on the hedge of your sit the entire time, even tho I sort of figured some of the story points earlier (like Ryan been involved in the rape), I was blown away but other stuff that I couldn't ever see it coming, like her actually dying at the end, and you go "wow, well, that's dark af, and I guess the message will truly be 'the world sucks, and there is no hope'", but then... boom again! The lawyer redeems himself, and Cassandra, in a dark, and truly awful away (cause, well... she was murdered) get's the last laugh, and her friend finally gets the justice she deserved. And, even tho the world still sucks, there are half of dozen less jerks out there (plus the other dozens of jerks she hopefully made rethink their actions during the movie).
Also, I almost forgot, the soundtrack is amazing! The instrumental classic version of Toxic... man, when that plays, I was, like, ok, that's creepy af, but captures so well the movie's vibe.
I get the criticisms I saw some had with the ending, and... well, sure, you clearly need to have a suspension of disbelief, if you will, that her text messages would arrive, at the same time the cops would, and in such a dramatic way lol, but I mean, is such a small detail, and, the fact that I respected everything the movie had done up to that point, and the message It was making, I'm fine with it, and it doesn't bother me at all, in order to change the score or anything.
So, to sum up, I loved this movie, I love the atmosphere of it, I loved the performances, the directing, the script, and of course, the message here is truly powerful, important and a hell of a sensitive issue we must talk about it constantly. It's insane that this is Emerald Fennell first feature film, this is incredible.
The Father (2020)
Immersive and breathtaking
The movie is just incredible, first, the cinematography is beautiful, and the movie looks gorgeous, the acting is just insanely great, Anthony Hopkins is at his best here, giving a truly Oscar winning performance, you can fell his confusedness, you can really enjoy the good and happy moments he has with his love ones, but also the moments of sadness and loneliness too. And that's not all, Olivia Colman is also great, and you can feel how fragile the situation is to her in every scene, how challenging it is, and how she just loves Anthony. Imogen Poots has a bit of screen time too, and she is also pretty good, Mark Gatiss as always as well. Anyways, the cast is great.
But probably what makes this movie different from everything I have ever seem is the structure of the story itself, the constant changing of scenarios, and actors or even characters suddenly, with often conflicting information been given by more than one character, puts you in Anthony's shoes, and see how just helpless a person on that situation feels like, and how insanely confusing everything is.
The mix of this perfect story structure, with top notch performances, makes this movie just an immersive and breathtaking experience from start to finish. I loved it.
Nomadland (2020)
Intriguing
The movie is beautiful, and I love how it's about a concept, or a life style if you will, that I had never seen anything about before. It explores the live of a "modern nomad" woman, and I think the story manages to say everything it needed to about that, you understand that, most of the people, just love the "freedom", and connecting to people along the way.
The acting is phenomenal, Frances McDormand, once again, is just insanely good here, and all the other members of the cast, that were apparently not actors (and I just discovered that rn) were also pretty good.
The score is great, the script is also pretty good, it manages to tell the story, and make the characters emote a lot, even tho they aren't actually saying much.
At first I was unable to relate with the character's motivation to stay a nomad, cause well, in the beginning it seems that she only does that, cause she doesn't have a better option, however, during the film, she does have other options, and even choses to sleep on her van instead of a bedroom in a regular house at some point, and I found that odd, cause, well how am I suppose to care about her struggles, if she is choosing to live them?
But, after a while, and talking with some people, I realize that she actually founds the meaning in the nomad life throughout the movie, by meeting with people, by been part of a community, and, by refusing to live a "regular life" again, when she does have a chance. So, I think I get it more now.
To sum up, Nomadland is a pretty good movie, with great acting, great cinematography, and that explore a completely different subject, I hadn't seemed before anywhere.
Hannah Montana (2006)
Brace yourselves, this is gonna be a long one
I have to start by saying that I truly never understood the hate this show got when it was on, and re watching it on Disney+ now, I understand even less. For real, why did the series get so much heat? I can't help but think most (most, not all, of course) people that hated on the show, never really watch it, or weren't its target audience. People sometimes just hate for the shake of hating, I guess. But well, who knows, I only know that, I'm a 23 years-old dude, that was just re watching this whole thing on Disney+, and I'm damn sure the show is pretty good. Better than I expected, honestly.
Sure, I will never be able to watch it, and not been overwhelmed by the feeling of nostalgia, of been 9 years old, and watching it basically every day in the late afternoons on Disney Channel. Imo tho, that's part of been a fan of anything. And that surely is a part of why I love the show so much and I will explain why I think is great, and why it means so much to me.
Still, the thing I was most surprise by, that I actually didn't remember, was how funny the show is, Miley and Lilly's chemistry is just great, and honestly, most of the cast (maybe besides Billy Ray...? Sorry, bud) has a pretty good comedic timing. Jason Earles is clearly at his best in comedy and impersonations, and I honestly think Mitchell Musso was such an underrated physical comedian! The dude is just killing it almost every time he was asked to deliver! It's a shame he hasn't gone to do that much comedy afterwards, I truly believe he had potential.
Looking back at it as well, the entire show it's just full with great and valuable lessons, that are just an awesome example for kids. And I truly believe it had (alongside with other shows I grew up watching) a positive effect on me as a kid. Sometimes it may just feel a bit "forced" watching it now, but it focuses always on the value of friendship, family, and been true to yourself, and that's great.
So, going into a bit more details, I would probably separate the show in three.
Seasons 1 and 2
For me seasons 1 and 2 are the "classic Hannah Montana", not just in that they are the ones featuring her classic look (until the latter half of S2), but just that they are the base for what the show is all about, and it was honestly, to that point, the seasons I had way more memories from, when I thought about the series. They just feel like all that was on the show's core.
In season 1 the first few episodes, with her friends figuring the secret out, and for the most part, just three kids, been putted into crazy situations either at school or cause one of them is secretly and international popstar. It's fun, and it feels like they nailed the balance between "Hannah-centric" and "Miley-centric" episodes, so we never truly got tired of either.
And season 2, imo, continues that for the most part, but also introduces some of the most inventive and refreshing stuff I used to love about Hannah Montana, episodes like "I Am Hannah, Hear Me Croak" and "When You Wish You Were the Star" were so creative, and added a new other layer to the show, where they could suddenly do an entire segment or episode, on a dream, and go just nuts with some of this concepts either for pure comedy purposes, or actually to explore some stuff you just couldn't regularly explore (like Miley's life without the secret). That continued as a recuring thing during most of the series, and those are probably some of my all-time favorite episodes, where we got to just take a minute, and follow our beloved characters in crazy and completely out of the box situations, as I kid that was just pure gold storytelling to me.
So, I would probably classify season 1 and season 2 as the core of the show, and they are, without a doubt, my favorite seasons.
Season 3
And then there is season 3. It's not I don't like it, I actually love the first half of it, probably, cause it feels like just a natural continuation of season 2, but at some point even Hannah's new look just seems out of place, and not fitting like it was in season 2. Everything on screen just feels like it doesn't fit anymore.
The first half it's pretty good, but Idk, the episodes "after the movie" (which are supposedly episode 13 and beyond, according to the internet) feel different. The weird old fake Italian boyfriend episode, Jake... again (might be the worst character in the show lol), the stuff just setting up a clear ending of some kind (like Mitchel Musso leaving for Pair of Kings), and the worst season finale, imo, with Miley wanting to go back to Tennessee cause... she's dreaming about her horse...? I mean, c'mon.
I really don't know how to explain, but most of the second half of season 3, feels "uncomfortable" in a way, in a sense of "why are we still doing this? It isn't working" (which honestly was probably what Miley was feeling at that point, judging by her interviews after the show). It felt like everyone had "grown out" of that show we saw in the first 2 seasons.
Season 4
So that been said, I was really worried season 4 would just suck, and I wouldn't stand going through it (since it was definitely the part of the series I remembered the least). And, well... weirdly, I think it may have been just what the series needed, a breath of fresh air.
Two things 1) the change of scenario for sure helped, the characters, and the show itself had grown out of all the stuff that came before, so changing basically everything, but 5 of your main characters made actual sense, and I didn't feel the strangeness I felt by the end of season 3. 2) Also, re watching it today, the HD aspect of it by itself makes it look like a whole other show (that probably wasn't something I noticed back in 2010 tho).
Although, not having Oliver in all but 1 and a quarter of the episodes will always suck, I like the whole dynamic the new sets, and some new characters bring to the stories. It deals with somewhat meta themes, like "songs that aren't what Hannah is", and in a more "fitting way" if you will, it deals with the fact Miley had basically grown out of Hannah's persona, preparing the ground for the finale we have always expected. Also, it has the balls to reveal Hannah's secret and still have basically 1/3 of the season left, which I actually did not remember, giving us some cool exploration of the "post-Hannah" world for our characters, and some new, and again, experimental/innovative episodes (like a full-on interview with flashbacks).
Also, it has finally a kick to the butt, for one of my least favorite characters (Jake), which I cannot complain.
But, I have to add, I don't think the season itself it's perfect, and it sure has issues, like the fact that some episodes just feel like they... didn't have a full-length script for it? So, they had to actually do a full musical performance at the end, for the first time ever in the show? That's nitpicking tho, for the most part, season 4 really surprised me, all things considered, I think that may have been one of the best-case scenarios of an ending to the show. Ending after season 3's finale would suck, if the movie supposedly closed everything, that would be an at least... unfulfilling finale imo. Instead, we got a full revamp of the show, that gave it new energy, had time to explore more of the character's growth, and (besides Oliver) they were able to have fine conclusions to every one of our main characters.
And well, last, but definitely not least, the songs just... rock, and anyone who tells me otherwise is flat out wrong lol. I currently have 40+ Hannah Montana songs liked on my Spotify account, yeah, and I'm not ashamed. Most of the songs from the first 2 CDs (and consequently, first 2 seasons) are awesome, and besides the double life theme songs, who btw are hilarious when you think about it, there were some really great songs, that just reinforce the whole thematic of the show, of been yourself no matter what, that's honestly all you can ask from a kids show (Nobody's Perfect, Who Said, One in a Million, True Friends... etc).
So, to sum up, Hannah Montana is by far my favorite Disney Channel show, it was clearly their most successful series as well, and it's just weird to see the impact of the hate it got back in the day (as an example you can just look at the average rating here in the page). To me tho, the show had a great impact as a kid, and I feel like I was positively influenced by, which I will always respect it for that alone. Still, this is a funny show to this day, with a cast that has great chemistry, some awesome music, and, of course, Miley Cyrus is talent af, and that nobody could ever change. I love Hannah Montana, and that was one of the easiest 10/10 I ever gave here on IMDb.
Minari (2020)
Beautiful
Well, I won't write a bunch, the movie is pretty good. It has a really really slow pace, so that might be a problem to some. The story takes its time, and over all, it's a movie were the cinematography stands out, the image on screen is always impactful in some way.
The acting is great, all of the cast really, even the kids, I think did an awesome job, and they are just immersed in the characters. The story is touching, and you can relate to most of the characters. The grandma and the kid's relationship are probably the one that evolves the most throughout. The kid actually is the heart and soul of the movie, and he manages to emote a lot, even without speaking much.
There isn't much else to say I think, I believe the story has some rhymes withing itself, for sure, that I probably haven't realized because I only saw the movie once.
To sum up, the movie is good, the acting is great, and the cinematography is gorgeous, it just feels a lot longer than it actually is.
7,5/10
Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009)
It could have been way better, but fans of the show can probably enjoy it
Well, let's start from the beginning, I'm a huge Hannah Montana fan, I loved the show since it came out, and I'm been able to watch everything again now with Disney+ through my 23-year-old eyes. And well, I still think the show it's pretty good and fun, with the little bit of nostalgy that only the ones that grew up watching the show would have, but still, pretty good. This movie tho, they could have gone in so many different ways, either with the execution or the story, and it would have been so much better.
I get the premise, I get trying to do something different from the show, and most of all, I get exploring the whole "how is Miley becoming Hannah" thing, it's a fair story bit, that was a natural ending since the first episode of the show. But I have a couple of things to add about the execution.
First, I know, it's just a kids show/movie, but how hard would have been to just make a movie, that could fit well into the show's timeline? Or at least... just don't ignore it? I've seeing the info that the movie was supposed to wrap the series up but 1) if that had happened... what would this ending even mean? That we didn't have a finale and she would go on to have a double life as a popstar forever? 2) C'mon Disney, if that was the plan, how in the world do you release the movie while the show was still running? (Season 3 would end almost a year after the movie's release).
Yeah, I know that season 4 came along and all that changed, but still, it wasn't that hard to just think of a story that wouldn't be ruined by the fact that the show continued. But then again, I know that's somewhat of a nitpick.
But my main complaint tho, is just that... the movie ignores most of the stuff that made the TV show so good, and without those things, it becomes not that different from every single bad rom-com that was ever made before. Yeah, Miley Cyrus is insanely talent, and the music is great, we still have that, but half of the movie completely throws away the humor, and becomes a melodramatic rom-com, which could have been a great idea, but it's just so far from what Hannah Montana was about. Oliver and Rico been there for like 5 minutes, and Jackson spending the movie fighting with Alligators and stuff is just a waste of some of our most beloved characters (with Lily basically being there to help Miley changes clothes too). Those characters were truly important to the show as well, and it would have been really easy to just have a story about "how is Miley becoming Hannah" with them involved (which would consequentially be more effective, and somewhat of a payoff for the fans of the show). Also, let's be honest here, Billy Ray is the worst actor of the bunch, so having him has the "co-protagonist" was not the smartest idea.
And well the ending where she tells hundreds of people her secret, and then... "let's all forget what just happened" is, a bit dumb (and I know most of the stuff surrounding Miley's secret in the show made no sense, but still, this crosses the "level of dumb" for me lol), and again, coming back to the whole "the movie was supposed to wrap the show", how is that a good ending to the show? Either she reveals the secret or not, chose one, Disney, c'mon.
Still tho, I don't think the movie is horrible. Of course, if you don't like the show (and if you don't... I have no idea why are you reading this rn, but... thanks? lol) you won't like the movie, most of the stuff you can "let it pass" in here, it's going to be cause you love the show and care about the characters.
Well, with all that been said I like most of the first half, I love the beginning, and I think is pretty fun to see another side (got it?) of Hannah we don't see in the show (mostly due to budgetary reasons) I think the humor in the first half is the closest the movie gets from the humor in the show, and well, through the first 15-20 minutes we have most of the main characters from the show as well, which imo, only makes it better.
I love the soundtrack, the songs are great, and most of them fit well in the story (some of the ones that are truly soundtracks during the film - and not performances - sometimes don't fit the well, but the "performances" ones are great). And again, I think the idea of exploring Hannah and Miley's "relationship" was good, but they sort of missed the landing, between the weird finale, the cartoon villain, and the spinning for 3 minutes on a revolving door in order to... be dramatic? The movie lost itself a bit, and threw away the opportunity of been great, or at least giving the show's characters the treatment they deserved, like other Disney Channel movies did (aka Wizards of Waverly Place).
To sum up, Hannah Montana: The Movie isn't horrible, but, for a fan of the show, I can't help but think it could have been way better, if they hadn't simply forgot most of the things that made the TV show so beloved. But then again, I'm a 23-year-old dude writing an almost 2-page long review of the Hannah Montana movie on IMDb so... what do I know.
Obs: It's just dumb and sad the backlash this, and the show got from older... dudes? Back in the day, I mean, c'mon people, can't we just accept when we aren't the target audience to something? I will always respect someone that watches something, doesn't like it, and then makes it a fair and honest explanation of why he/she thought the movie/series sucked, that's fine, but hating for the sake of hating (if you haven't even watched the movie) is just stupid.
Wo hu cang long (2000)
Beautiful
There isn't actually much to say, I think the movie is great. The fight scenes are incredible, just gorgeous, spectacular, and fun. The movie is visually astonishing and impactful, with a great cinematography. The acting is really good, and of course, I think the stunts here are so good, some of the scenes (like the fight over the trees) I was like "wait... how?" lol, just awesome.
And well, I think the story is pretty cool, I like the whole warrior mythology they build, with Li Mu Bai, Shu Lien and Jen Yu mostly, even tho they don't explore it that much, and focus the most attention to Jen's storyline, and also Lien and Bai's romantical tension, the world behind them feels real, and that makes a huge difference.
Probably the only thing I didn't like as much was the whole 20+ minutes flashback, out of nowhere to tell Jen and Luo's story or something, idk man, like, sure, I don't actually know how they could have told that differently, and I get that it gave their relationship the background they sort of needed, but the whole comb stuff, feels like such a stupid reason for her to go after him, and they honestly never explained why that was so important. "You wouldn't understand", like... why? Try me. It felt sort of a lazy way out, and that whole sequence imo dragged the movie's pace towards the middle significantly.
Still tho, the movie is great, the story is engaging for most of it, the fight scenes (and there are a lot of them) are super well made, with amazing stunt work, and highly entertaining. I loved it.
The New Mutants (2020)
I'm really surprised
If you are reading this, I think is fair to assume you know the drama this movie was surrounded by. I believe it was delayed for what felt like eternity. I remember some of the cast members came to the 2017 CCXP (the Brazilian Comic-Con), with some exclusive footage and stuff, and it ended up been delayed a hundred times, to finally come out in August of 2020 (almost 3 years after!!!), in the middle of a pandemic. Still, I'm mentioning all that, in order to contextualize, why I was truly surprised that this movie doesn't suck. I was expecting a mess, Fantastic Four level or maybe worst. Otherwise, why would they delay it for that long? Well... who knows.
The point is, the movie is actually just fine, it doesn't feel like there was that much stuff taken out, or anything new that doesn't fit with the rest. Idk, maybe is just that I went with the lowest of expectations, but I thought it was really decent.
The acting is pretty good (besides some accents changing at some points of the movie I thought), I like pretty much everyone here Maisie Williams and Charlie Heaton are just fine, and I loved them in their specific famous TV shows. Anya Taylor-Joy is doing ok too, even tho her character is just a jerk for most of the movie. Blu Hunt, who is basically the protagonist of the film (I truly didn't know that coming in), is also great, she does an awesome job. Alongside with Alice Braga and Henry Zaga, who I also hadn't seen in anything before, but are pretty good too.
I was surprised about the plot too, I was expecting a world level threat with the big blue lighting at the end, and... I was glad the movie is really concise, and specific, dealing with a very small issue, but that fits with everything that's set up since the beginning.
Some stuff I thought they could have done better, like the whole Illyana plot, she is a jerk for most of it, and... ok, we learned the trauma she had, but we never really understand why she is so mean to Dani, and also the quick change between "I will kill you" and "well I guess I'm telling my tragic story now" is at best "rushed" lol. Some of the scenes, like the thing with the lie detector or even the ending sequence with the bear-dream-monster-stuff do not feel that smooth, but I like how they introduce the nightmares, and the whole thing start to escalate. And I also like most of the scene between the group, and besides Illyana (and Roberto in the beginning, cause... he's such a jerk in the first scene for no reason, omg), their relationship feels pretty natural, and you buy the connection, they have great chemistry.
I love that the film has quietly a pretty diverse cast, and has maybe the first gay kiss in a super hero movie? (From Marvel or DC, at least) which is pretty cool! Also, been a Brazilian, I loved that we got to see our great Sunspot on screen lol! None of those things make the movie worst or better btw, just pointing out that I thought was a nice "plus" if that makes sense.
Anyways, to sum up, I think New Mutants is actually pretty decent, it's a short movie, and it feels pretty quick, but I liked that about it. It has a simple story, that, in a way breaks somewhat of a barrier for Marvel/DC movies, for been at least the closest to a horror they got so far (I wouldn't call it a horror per say, but still, it's more than any other movie based on a Marvel character), I like that they went on a different route, and explored a fascinating part about mutants, that we just had glimpses off so far in the movies, but was never explored this deeply. It isn't perfect, and some of the character development mostly, could have been done a bit better, with some of the motivation of the characters been more explored (and also the Big Bear power at the end), and you could also feel that story goes in a pretty familiar/predictable path, but I thought that the environment of it all, the horror elements, and the talent on screen, made me not care about that as much, and I was able to enjoy it. Overall, I would say this average here it's a overreact, and I can't really get why it's this low. Pretty good!
Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert (2008)
Why all the hate, guys?
For real, I bet more than half of people who graded this didn't actually see the movie. I truly never understood why all the hate some of Disney Channel's late 2000's shows (and movies) got, like Hannah Montana and High School Musical. In my experience, actually, Disney+ has been great, being a kid from the late 90's, and growing up watching the Disney Channel in the mid to late 2000's, shows like Hannah Montana bring me a lot of nostalgy, and honestly it has helped me a lot through some recent tough times, where my mental health isn't exactly ideal.
And I truly never got all the hate, like, why? The show, if you take off the music aspect of it (which you like or you don't, it's fine), it's basically a regular teen show, with a lot of jokes kids would dig, and some fun characters, who at their core taught them some important values in life. So honestly, if you didn't see the movie, why graded it? Why all the hate towards this specific show? Gosh, guys, it's supposed to be a kid show, take it for what it is, and if it wasn't what it you liked as a kid, that's fine, just move on and don't be hating. If you, knowing the character, and the show, still watched the movie, and still graded it, I'm ok with that, you deserve it. If you graded it without watching, you are wrong.
Regarding the film itself tho, it's pretty cool. As it was advertised, it was supposed to be a way for kids who couldn't go to the tour, to be a part of it, and enjoy. So, with this goal in mind I think the movie does an awesome job. If you don't like the music, you won't like the show. But for me, someone who grew up watching the show, and owns the CD's to this day, it was fun, and pretty nice to the some backstage of how the tour came to be. Sure, the 3D is stupid, but, c'mon, it's the mid 2000's, how many movies from the 90's through the 2000's had that same stupid stuff?
To sum up, I truly think this average grade here is insane, and most people didn't even see the movie. "Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" achieves its goal, to be a way for people who couldn't atend the tour in person, to catch up and have some fun. Sure, it was Disney trying to cash grab as much as they could at the time, and the 3D part of it is useless and stupid. But with all that, being a fan of the show growing up, I still think the songs are great, it's fun (even more for kids probably), it gives us some glimpses of the backstage, and it's truly fine for a documentary about a tour of a character from a TV show in the mid 2000's. Miley Cyrus is talented af, and you could see that even here, 15 years ago, when she was 14 or something. But then again, I understand I'm bias, and I'm never gonna be able to grade this impartially, cause I grew up watching the show. Take that for what it's worth then.