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COLME AARON
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  • Movie Reviews
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Movies In RevIew

Uncut Gems - Review

12/28/2019

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Release Date:  December 25, 2019​​​​​​​​​​​​
This Can't Be Sandler, right?

Between Good Time and Uncut Gems, it seems that a Safdie brothers production entails depicting deplorable characters and having the audience root for them anyway. This tried-and-true formula comes with a presentation style that places the camera very close to its subjects. The confined and up-close portrayal creates a feeling of claustrophobia and entrenches the audience in the movie. There is no escape, and the harsh reality of the events that transpire keeps you hooked. While Good Time fits that description to a tee, Uncut Gems does depart from this style in a major way. 

In place of cameras in actors' faces, the way the same hectic and personal atmosphere is achieved comes from escalation. The ramping up of events that happen to the main character, Howard, continues to get more daunting. He is plagued by addiction for gambling, something that he does in all facets of his life. The only reason you care for Howard and want to see him succeed is Adam Sandler's performance. To be able to make such an awful person likeable is a feat. This praise extends to supporting actress Julia Fox who plays Julia. These two characters are terrible people and in no other
circumstance, could be considered palatable. 

​​That's kind of the whole movie. Disgraceful people do things that make their situations worse. As they continue to dig their own graves deeper, they keep hoping for their big break to rescue them. It's incredibly effective as by the end, I couldn't wait to see how the story concluded. I don't think I like this as much as Good Time, but Uncut Gems might just be the mainstream push for the Safdie brothers to be more recognized.
​7.5/10
​Probably the most inappropriate Christmas movie you could go see with the family
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Cats - review

12/28/2019

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Release Date:  December 25, 2019​​​​​​​​​​​
A... Cat-tastrophe

I don’t need a preamble for this movie. We all know what Cats is cause it’s a meme. The internet made a big fuss about how these cat-people look and that’s where most discussions of this film ends. So I have to be frank, I don’t think it looks that bad. I am not bothered by the CGI hair or the catification of famous people. I am indifferent to the look so it’s not something I am going to spend much time talking about.  

To be fair, there isn’t much to talk about anyways as Cats doesn’t have a plot worth dissecting. The plot chronicles introductions to a bunch of cats, and then the movie ends. All introductions and major conversations are done through song which means that there is probably about 10 minutes worth of screen time not part of a musical number. This simplicity does not bother me as I kept myself busy.

The entire time, I was looking for CGI mishaps and discrepancies. I found weird morphing on faces as entire top heads of characters shifted, there were floating feet, and much more. In the face of all of this, the only thing that truly bothered me was the scale of everything. 
 Whenever there was a wide shot of actors in a room, I could not buy into the fact that these were cat height people. So in a way, I was unoffended by Cats in general.

Now, would I recommend someone one spend the 2 hours to watch people that kinda look like cats dance around to music that isn’t very good? No. But I do have to say I wasn’t bored, just that I almost fell asleep. The almost cozy atmosphere and uninteresting plot provides a wonderful atmosphere to rest your eyes a bit. You probably shouldn’t see this film, ever. But, if you ever need to fall asleep when it comes to streaming, then it might just do the trick.
2/10
No one has the time to look into the allusions and symbolism for a play made for the 60s
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Little Women - Review

12/26/2019

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Release Date:  December 25, 2019​​​​​​​​​​
Another Classic

​I really liked Greta Gerwig's last film Lady Bird. It told a relatable coming of age story that resonated with me even though I don't fit that movie's demographic. So when I heard that Gerwig had another film coming out, an adaptation of a book that I'd never heard of—I couldn't wait to see it. As luck would have it, I don't fit the demo for this either as Little Women seems to be a story for young girls. But history seems to have repeated itself as I adore it and can confidently say it's one of the best things I've seen this year.

While sitting in the theater, I was trying to find the right adjective for Little Women. It started with the performances; I didn't want to say Saoirse Ronan was electric because that word sounds too erratic. There was a honed in focus that embodied every aspect of the film. All the performances, the cinematography, and even the score were pitch-perfect as everything molded together. The word I settled upon was 'magic' as it perfectly encapsulates what I saw on screen.​
The quaint and hominess that this movie exudes harkens back to a time of a different sensibility. Halfway through the runtime, you can tell it feels like a classic. Even though the original story came out in 1868, the film brings its message into the 21st century. Without devolving into preaching or propaganda, Little Women is able to balance its fantasy with stark realism. It even injects humor in a way to help release tension while not robbing the plot of its intensity.

​Little Woman utterly surprised me. The attention to detail, the proficiency in its craft, it all screams of a seasoned director. I think Greta Gerwig's knack for emotional literacy and her ability to craft scenes that let the audience experience the complexity of real relationships is unparalleled. While everyone is perfectly cast and there is praise to go around, I cannot stress enough how integral Gerwig was to making it all work. As director and screenwriter, this seems to be a unique vision that could have only come from her. I highly recommend the heartbreaking, funny, touching, and beautiful Little Women.
9/10
Greta Gerwig is officially one of my favorite directors

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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Review

12/20/2019

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Release Date:  December 20, 2019​​​​​​​​​​
Star Wars Just Died

​The problem with Star Wars isn't that fans have grown up and want the same things they did as kids. Yes, there has been a weird revival in how the public sees the prequel trilogy—but that has nothing to do with the quality of those terrible movies. I believed that there would always be a couple of things that each entry in the franchise would excel at. Form the prequels to Solo, I can point to moments worth watching on YouTube or some of their great music. Trying to close the book on a 42-year-old story was a problem from the start. The Rise of Skywalker has killed Star Wars; it's officially a husk of its former self as the proliferation of Baby Yoda is its only hope. 

When The Last Jedi came out, I didn't want to admit to myself that a Star Wars film was terrible. I gave it a high score, praising what it got right and trying to ignore the filmmaking aspects that would have been bad in any other movie. Enough time has passed for me to realize my mistake, but also that it was still better than anything in the prequel trilogy. I wish I still had the blind fanaticism to shield myself from this latest installment. 
The Rise of Skywalker is offensive because it was boring; it's terrible because the plot doesn't make sense. You don't need to bring up the rest of the series to prove this is a bad movie as it dies on its own merits. For the first third, I was having flashbacks to 6 Underground and how the continuous cutting and nonstop pace made it hard to settle in for the over two-hour runtime. The Rise of Skywalker is in a hurry to get itself over and done with as its breakneck pace never slowed down. Characters are continually jumping to their next objective as so much grown has to be covered.

While trying to erase everything that The Last Jedi stood for and having its own story, The Rise of Skywalker doesn't take the time to get everything right. It's sloppy, rushed, and offensive. In the place of substance, it relies on blatant uses of nostalgia in a weaponized form. Continually using music from the original trilogy to try and cover up everything wrong with the movie. I would go, "I remember liking this song, and it meaning something." It continually mines past films as a cheap party trick, and when it finally gets to its own story, all hell breaks loose. 

The villain in this turd on fire is ridiculous. The way all of the antagonists are setup is a tragedy. The leaps in logic for Rey and her abilities in the force are unfounded. What ends up happening to certain characters is complete bullshit. Pretending like this is ok, that it would be fine to accept what has happened as normal, would be a mistake. 

It surprised me that I wasn't angry while watching this movie. I usually can get irritated if a film gets on my nerves, but that didn't happen here. I think JJ Abrams's greatest accomplishment is that the presentation is good enough, so the only emotion I had was boredom. I was utterly bored, and none of the humor worked for me. Some will say that this is a hilarious movie, but if the stakes in your film don't matter and I don't care what's happening, then I can't laugh when forced humor is thrown at me. I genuinely laughed on three separate occasions, which is very low for the sheer volume of jokes that is put in every scene.

The actors tried to do a good job with the material that they were given. I think they were collateral damage in the decisions that were being made. They, along with fans, were wronged so they should not be blamed. Just because their characters suck, doesn't mean its their fault. Please do not harass them online for the failure that is this movie.

I can't believe I'm about to say this. Rise of Skywalker is the worst movie in the Star Wars franchise. While there are tons of technical and presentation problems in the prequels, there were still aspects to them that breathed life into the franchise. The Rise of Skywalker is devoid of any magic; it doesn't feel like the same thing. I can't think of one scene that you could watch on YouTube, and all of the music is ripped out of the old movies. This is bottom barrel stuff, and I couldn't watch it again. Star Wars is dead as a movie-going experience, and while I might have to see the eventual follow-up to review, I won't take pleasure in doing it. 
2/10
There is no reason to see the movie if you are not a die hard fan, don't waste your time

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6 Underground - Review

12/13/2019

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Release Date:  December 13, 2019​​​​​​​​​​
Absolute Garbage

You thought that Micheal Bay was off his rocker when The Transformers movies started getting crazy? Well, get ready for when he actually has full control and no oversight. 6 Underground is peak Bay as explosions fill the screen, all captured by his signature sweeping camera moves. That means constant action, little story, and lots of simplified stereotypes. The end result is something that general audiences might enjoy as it barely has time to catch its breath. I feel like this movie is a horror story from Hollywood come true. The story I'm alluding to comes from a studio executive that watched a man in an airport fast forward through a film, only stopping during the action sequences. It's something only Bay could make, and Netflix could release.

In the interest of being fair, there isn't anyone else in the industry doing what Bay does on the scale that he does it. Tom Cruise gets close, but the sheer amount of practical stunt work in Bay's movies is incredible. In 6 Underground alone, there are tons of different set pieces that would be the crown jewel for any other film. Having tons of stunt people do the things that they do while also
making it look good is hard. Bay is the undisputed king of action; whether that's cars flipping over, explosions, or shootouts, he knows how to make them look good. 

I can even throw a bone to the actors as all of them seemed to play their parts well. While Ryan Reynolds is probably the main draw for most, he doesn't give the best performance. Honestly, none of the actors did anything to capture your attention, though that isn't their fault. The movie is stuck in the highest gear for its entire two-hour runtime; there isn't a moment for the characters to settle down. Read the comments made by actress Melanie Laurent about how Bay shoots on set, and you'll understand why this is. It honestly comes down to their ability to get their characters across in a short amount of time, which they do, and it's just enough to get to the next action scene.

The rest of the movie is just constant cutting and motion, which can get nauseating. The first 20 minutes were unintelligible, as I had no clue where the characters were supposed to be when cutting to a different shot. This was a constant problem as characters teleport to new positions or major events happen offscreen. The fault lies squarely on two shoulders, the screenplay, and Bay himself. It doesn't help that there are constant flashbacks that the audience has no reference for and doesn't explain what is happening in the present. The best example comes right at the beginning of the movie, starting in present-day and going back six months for the first flashback. We spend approximately five minutes in this time period before jumping further back to four years into the past. With the amount of time switching, I'm surprised this isn't Back to the Future.

Some might say the action scenes lift this dumpster fire from the hell hole from which it came into a place of watchability. I can guarantee you that if you know someone who enjoys this movie, you should probably never take their recommendations seriously from now on. You would have to be neurotic to be able to sit through the absolute mess that could only have been made for Netflix. On the bright side, I guess the streaming service really is the only place where creatives get full control over their projects.
2/10
This hurt to watch
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Jumanji: The Next Level - Review

12/13/2019

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Release Date:  December 13, 2019​​​​​​​​​
A Surprising Misstep

The reboot of Jumanji back in 2017 was a huge hit. By almost making a billion dollars at the box office and taking on Star Wars: The Last Jedi, it's legacy in Hollywood has been cemented. The sequel aims for the magic to continue as it faces Star Wars once again for the holiday season; the only difference is that there is much more competition thanks to that first film proving there is space for more movies during this time. The sequel has to prove that the reboot wasn't a fluke by being fun to watch. As long as that goal is achieved, Jumanji: The Next Level would be an easy recommendation.

​These movies' greatest strengths continue to be getting the actors to act very unlike themselves. Welcome to the Jungle had Jack Black take center stage as he impersonated a teenage girl with all of the mannerisms to go along with it. That wasn't the only good performance as Karen Gillian did a great job embodying a fish out of water and being a constant in the group. The Next Level has Kevin Heart pull focus as he acts like an older man perfectly. His back-and-forth with Dwayne Johnson's character are hilarious, which is facilitated
by absurd dialogue. In second place again is Gillan as she continues to be the rock that is the foundation for the story. Since the cast expanded for the sequel, it would be remiss not to acknowledge Aquafina, who, at the ending of the movie, does the best acting.

​Everything else just doesn't work. The story is worse this time around, which completely boggles my mind. There is too much filler, which usually comes from scenes designed to make the audience laugh without any actual substance. It can all be traced back to the plot's inability to have motives for its characters' actions. This lack of direction that slows everything down brings the pacing to a crawl. Instead of being a tight fun movie, Jumanji: The Next Level ends up being a frustrating experience that is nowhere near as enjoyable.

I know that for some viewers, the changes made to characters and pacing won't be a problem for them. But I would implore them to ask if the sequel really is as good as the first. It honestly felt like I was on an amusement park ride as I was whisked to different locations with little prompting. Though there are some funny moments and there is fun to be had, it just doesn't come close. It's not like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was an impeccable movie that knew what to do, but it was better than this. I was very excited about this film; I thought that I was going to get more of everything I saw from the first, and in a way, I did. Since the ending hints at a third Jumanji movie, I would like to advise for that not happen. They should have focused on this installment being fun instead of trying to make a Jumanji franchise.
3.5/10
​It's time to stop
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Queen & Slim - Review

12/6/2019

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Release Date:  November 27, 2019​​​​​​​​​
Powerfully Flawed

I knew I was going to see this film after I saw the trailer for it; there was an energy to the way that it presented itself and seemed like it would tackle its subject matter well. The only hiccup was that it came out Thanksgiving week, and I usually don't have time to go to the theater. Having the opportunity this weekend was excellent, and I was still curious if the film could live up to the high bar it set for itself. It's too bad that Queen & Slim doesn't come anywhere close to the magic it had in its trailer.

When you show all of the best scenes, have all the best dialogue, and musical queues in your advertisement, you've left the audience with nothing left to look forward too. Some movies overcome this by making the parts left out integral to how you experience the story. In Queen & Slim's case, there wasn't much left for the audience to discover. It lacks the connective tissue that binds the good scenes together. This is where the failure of the film's own merits begin, and the fault of advertisement ends. 
It's obvious what Queen & Slim is supposed to be about; it tries to present a plausible scenario and champion a sentiment held by many in society. This in itself would have been great, but the story tries to tackle too many different topics; the film suffers from being bloated and unfocused. The result is that none of the issues get the time they need to be fleshed out. This disappointment piles on top of the editing problems that the movie has. Many scenes could have been removed, and nothing would have changed. Hard cuts required the audience to accept drastically different tones in an instant, a situation that happened many times. 

All of the scenes that did work, or evoked an emotional response, were used in the trailer. There were just a lot of choices made in the actual movie that distracted from the merit that was there. While the plot and editing were not very good, the acting breathed life into the film and kept it bearable. The performances by the leads added depth to dialogue that could fall flat and brought the characters' emotions to life. I would not recommend you go out and see this movie, but it wasn't absolutely horrible. 

5/10
I was waiting for the Bee Gees and it never came

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