psalas98 Reviews

Paddington (2014)

Has its moments but overall lacks depth or originality

[6/10 · 8 April 2023]

There are certain scenes and images that give it a distinct feel. Paddington's character is warm and adventurous, and the movie gives feelings of what it is like to be a wanderer. What it lacks is an original storyline or being able to stray from the common villan trope. It is a playful movie and brought out a bit of my inner child but I do wish it was a bit less corny.

I also think it would have been more interesting had Paddington been able to develop a relationship with Montgomery Clyde, the man that inspired his adventure.

Childish and silly but sometimes charming. Paddington is a character to remember.

First Man (2018)

First half is pretty boring

[6/10 · 26 July 2019]

Too long of a movie. The first half should have been cut much shorter and then this movie would have been really beautiful. The second half of the movie, when they actually get to the Apollo missions, was intense, engaging, and visually stunning, and I'd recommend it for that.

The Empty Hours (2013)

Entering the Mundaneness of Adult Life

[7/10 · 10 June 2018]

I would call this a coming-of-age movie. This movie is a good look into how a boy with not much to do, and not many people around, finds a woman to fill his time with. His time is mostly filled with looking over the motel and overseeing his employees, but the return of the woman, María, gives him something to look forward to during the mundane, "empty" hours of his life. Sebastian has a boyish charm and his relationship with María, a wandering, free spirited woman, progresses beautifully throughout the film.

It is a simple movie with beautiful cinematography, and portrays a realistic look of a teenager's search for lust and love as he comes into adulthood and enters the mundaneness that comes with responsibility and work.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)

Simple... and boring

[6/10 · 7 June 2018]

The overall idea of the film is beautiful, but you can find that out in five minutes by reading a summary of what happens. Not worth an 1 hr 45 minutes of your life. Just read a summary and you'll get the same thing out of it. The cinematography is not really very beautiful (which would maybe be a reason to watch the film) and it moves incredibly slowly.

Barry (II) (2016)

A Look into the Angsty Teen inside Obama

[8/10 · 16 December 2016]

This movie is not entirely what I was expecting; I expected a chronicle of the young life of Obama and his years at Columbia and Harvard. Instead, I saw a powerful story of race and a young man trying to find himself in a big city where he doesn't seem to fit in anywhere. The movie largely focuses on this concept of Obama not fitting in and seeming alone in the world; there are probably right around five minutes total of simply scenes of Barry smoking cigarettes by himself, pondering life. This is a tale of angst and identity. It shows a much more human side to our president that we don't get to see very often. At the very least, it will give you a more human understanding of the president and maybe you will be able to see the drive and optimism that he still has for our country. He is critical of the system and believes the people must make change happen, two ideas still similar to his beliefs, though due to the way Washington works, was simply unable to fully follow through on.

Overall, although it is a little slow at parts, it sends a powerful message about race and what it's like to not feel like you fit in anywhere.