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COLME AARON
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  • Movie Reviews
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Movies In RevIew

Booksmart - Review

5/5/2019

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Release Date: May 24, 2019​​​​​​​​
Coming of Age Again

Booksmart is another critically acclaimed coming of age story about accurately depicting the experience of young people dealing with the anxieties they place on themselves. It's being touted as a fresh new take on the genre, surpassing its peers due to its immaculate Rotten Tomatoes' score and how it's not sexist. It's being compared to movies like Superbad or anything John Hughes directed, thus making the female lead cast seem more groundbreaking than it actually is. Booksmart finds itself on the complete opposite end of the spectrum when compared to recent knockouts like Lady Bird and Eighth Grade, trying to make you laugh with a sprinkling of a message. It's a full-on comedy that tries to stuff as many jokes into its runtime as possible.

The best compliment I can give Booksmart is that it doesn't hold back. With reckless abandon, it charges ahead in every facet; from music to its characters, it goes for it. This outpouring of effort translates to an unwavering need of delivering jokes, like a tsunami that never lets up until the credits roll. The constant barrage
​of fun is headed by Billie Lorde's character Gigi who represents the best of the humor in the movie. Her sporadic appearances are gags that never fail to delight. The laughs aren't always delivered though, as I found myself laughing less than most people in the theater. The comedic moments are mostly shock value or borderline slapstick comedy. The film was pretty hit or miss in its entirety as there were many moments of silence in the theater when the movie was trying to be funny. If you've seen the trailer some of the best jokes are in it and they don't have the same impact when you have already heard them.

The same mixed bag can be applied to the cinematography. There are some sequences that are superior to other entries in the genre but for the most part its all standard stuff.

All of that unbridled enthusiasm accounts for a lot, but it doesn't wash the movie of all of its sins. The series of events that make up the plot feel compartmentalized, creating a jarring effect. The story never felt natural - it was always a set up for the next gag. By the whole thing happen in one night, the number of events that occur seem impossible to happen. Each segment was a playhouse to have jokes in, rather than used to create a compelling narrative. 

It's like someone got a blender and took the premise of 21 and Over and joined it with scenes from Eighth Grade and ideas from Lady Bird. How are you going to have a karaoke scene where a character bursts from their shell and a pool scene where they are searching to fit in; straight out of Eighth Grade. What about a strong friendship ruined by the pursuit of infatuation, in which a friend breaks a long-standing trust; Lady Bird. I've seen these story elements before and done better. It doesn't have the hard-hitting moments for me to take it seriously, it's too "fun" for that. Every chance Booksmart gets, it will try to make you laugh instead of having you feel something deeper.

By no stretch of the imagination is this a bad movie, it's just not the immense success people are pretending it to be. Other than most of the characters feeling more like caricatures, undercutting one of the most powerful scenes by cutting audio, and the ending straight out of a fantasy, Booksmart is a comedy that happens to tell a story about young people transitioning into the greater world. This is a safe rental when it comes to streaming, and considering the fact that no one went to go see Eight Grade, a film that won for best original screenplay at the Writers Guild Awards, I'm guessing most people aren't going to see this in theaters either. 
6/10
​Honestly not much special with this movie

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Vice - Review

12/29/2018

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Release Date: December 25, 2018​​​​​​​​
Could Have Been Greater

As awards season is about to enter full swing, Vice stands as the most nominated movie for the Golden Globes. From the director of  The Big Short, Adam McKay, I was excited to see what Vice would be. I expected the energetic pace of the trailer mixed with the frankness of the prior movie. It seemed impossible that Vice wouldn't be able to entertain, blowing your mind would be the cherry on top. But as it turns out, Vice is the cherry without the sundae to accompany it.

It's hard to talk about this movie without bringing up what it does right. It gives an unprecedented look at the highest levels. There have been few movies that are able to pull back the curtain and let the masses see how the course of history changed. Vice is like a time machine, it feels like looking back through time and being in the room. The film's ability to keep you interested is impressive considering how hard it tries to push you away. 

Vice has a ton of pacing and editing problems. Some think that this comes from the strong opinion McKay has for the subject matter, but the problems go deeper. The editing style does not match the tone of the material.
Vice isn't The Big Short, so it should not be edited that way. The use of a narrator is McKay's biggest crutch which holds this film back. When the narration goes away, the movie instantly gets better. This movie needed time to breathe, it needed to let the actors stretch their legs in scenes.

The beginning of the film is the worst offender and best example of the problems I am highlighting. It jumps from three different time periods, each having their own filming style. The movie can look like a documentary, or it can cut to a shaky cam, to then settle on a stationary shot. It's jarring for the audience and the connection to each shot is nonexistent.

Vice is a movie worth watching at some point. It's not something you have to rush to theaters to see. It might even be preferable to watch it at home since the theater experience might involve people yelling or talking throughout the movie. Vice is a weird film with some important things to say accompanied by some really good acting. I am interested to see if it can generate any wins from its awards nominations but only time can tell.

7/10
The "mid credits" scene wasn't funny

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Sorry to Bother You - review

7/13/2018

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Release Date: July 13, 2018
I Was Bothered

​There are probably only two ways you know about this movie. Either from the ad campaign or people around you have mentioned it. It's shown off as a comedy with undertones of social commentary. The film itself does have these qualities but isn't really about that. Instead of a comedy movie that talks about social problems and brings them to light, Sorry to Bother You is a movie about finding your place in the world. The ever familiar problem of being lost, not knowing what to do with your life and grasping for meaning. At least, it could have been that if it was better.

The biggest compliment I can give the movie is the attempt to talk about social issues. A more well-done analogy for class warfare that isn't immediately obvious. How relationships falter when a person transitions from one class to the other. The cinematography was interesting and wasn't bland which was also nice. The main character actually changed in the movie, going through what could be considered an arc.

However, this isn't a movie I would recommend for someone to watch for fun. The movie is lost just like the main character. It doesn't know how to string plot lines and scenes together. There are useless plot points that don't impact the story, a weird montage, and other odd aspects to the movie. It all detracts from the smart commentary made about society and how we view people of different backgrounds. It doesn't help that the movie takes a nosedive after introducing half horse half human people.

With commentary about social issues, the looming dangers of a company like Amazon, and political incompetence, the movie has a lot to say. It's just not crafted very well to get the point across in the way that it thinks it does. There are too many detours and instances where it seems too far-fetched. Wait to watch the movie when it is available to rent.

                                            5/10
     Probably would have been better if it was a comedy    
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