uncsbuddy91 Reviews

Anyone But You (2023)

So enjoyable

[7/10 · 17 May 2024]

To start, the writing and direction were brilliant. I could barely stop laughing for most of the movie. That said, a movie needs great talent to be great, and this cast was brilliant. The chemistry for the romance, awkwardness, and hilarity were on point. I would love to see the blooper reel, as there is no possible way the comedy scenes were done in one take.

Sure, this movie is unlikely to win any awards, but I enjoyed every minute of it...fine, I admit it, Glen Powell's body didn't hurt. It was cool how they used the song to tie things together at the end. Additionally, it was nice that they didn't make a big deal of the same-sex wedding, it simply existed.

After Ever Happy (2022)

Breath of fresh...stale air

[5/10 · 13 April 2024]

I went into this movie fully expecting it to be as infuriating as the previous ones- I must be a masochist. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, their relationship is still highly toxic, but at least Tessa FINALLY makes the decision to give herself space from Hardin for a while. I was stunned. Hardin, of course, spends most of the movie continuing to make terrible decisions and having nearly zero emotional control. I will fully admit that it annoys me that Tessa uses sex as a go-to for making Hardin feel better. At least she redeems it a bit by admitting that their relationship consists primarily of fighting and sex.

The Suicide Squad (2021)

Not the greatest

[6/10 · 16 March 2024]

To preface, I like the first Suicide Squad movie and the derangement of Jared Leto's Joker. I wasn't sure what I would be getting with this rendition, being unclear if it was a sequel or remake. The opening is hilarious, and there is plenty of comedic dialogue and timing through the rest of the movie. Language and gore are not spared, which I appreciated as being realistic (not counting gunfire being avoided).

After these elements, the story falls flat because it becomes disjointed. I admit, the aviary scene made me angry. There was very little development to the characters, and I don't know if that was purposeful.

Damsel (2024)

Nice cast, still disappointed

[5/10 · 10 March 2024]

Why was there so much difficulty in picking which accent to use? Angela and Millie are great actresses, so why didn't they have better accent coaching? Millie spent a lot of the movie going back and forth with it. Nick is a great actor, yet the initial dialogue sounded very unnatural for him.

Elodie goes through that many falls, from those heights, and you're telling me she didn't experience brain or bone injury?

The dragon visuals were cool, and the voice casting choice was excellent, but why could its own fire burn it? Other than a liberation and Game-of-Thrones-esque visual, what was the point of it leaving the island? And yes, this movie borrowed heavily from Game of Thrones, Mother of Dragons themes.

The plot twist was interesting, but I still hoped for better from this movie.

After We Fell (2021)

What am doing to myself?

[3/10 · 5 March 2024]

I must be a masochist, because I got myself to the end of the movie...but it took two sittings. Admittedly, I'm a sucker for Hero Fiennes Tiffin's looks and accent. But I also keep hoping Hardin SOMEHOW gets help and improves.

For context about my perspective, I work in mental health. Another review pointed out that one should "RUN" if someone exhibits the traits Hardin does, and I completely agree. His jealousy, pettiness, gaslighting, and anger issues make for a volatile cocktail that absolutely no one should be in a romantic relationship with. If I had a client like Tessa, male or female I would fear for them. Hardin's reactions at the end are the only reasonable reactions he's had the entire time- I was relieved that he finally did something healthy; cry and lean on Tessa for support. It only took the vast majority of 3 movies for him to have a healthy reaction...

A Haunting in Venice (2023)

Intriguing

[7/10 · 6 November 2023]

The performances that stood out most to me were Jamie Dornan and Jude Hill. In everything I've seen him in, Jamie has exhibited quite a skillset, and I was stunned by his convincing portrayal as the nervous wreck of a doctor relying on his son for emotional support with his clearly untreated PTSD. I was so surprised by the performance that I had to look up the cast to make sure I was seeing the actor I thought I had identified. As for Jude, to be a child able to play such a role is impressive.

I liked the angle this explored, having the viewer question if Poirot is actually experiencing something supernatural. Even after the hallucinogen reveal, there is the notion of her daughter pulling her to her death and then down into the depths.

House of the Witch (2017 TV Movie)

Seriously?

[3/10 · 18 October 2023]

I started off thinking I must be watching some low budget indie film or college project because of how poor the CGI was. When it's factors like that, I'm more forgiving. I kept thinking this as the dramatic and slow cinematography passed through the grass, and again when the overreacting began. Then I saw the SyFy logo and realized what I was watching (they haven't come out with a decent movie in years). I thought, "Okay, the special effects and acting are going to be subpar, but maybe the story will be interesting". I was wrong.

I was intrigued by the random bad things happening to them at first. Then the cheesy horror tropes kicked in (the bleeding walls, the ghost pretending to be someone else, the spider walk, crawling out through blood and straw, people splitting up) and I nearly turned it off. I will blatantly admit that I only tolerated this movie because I was attracted to one of the actors (who was one of the few good ones in this) and wanted to see how far his character got.

So, the guy who was skinned alive survived until his neck was broken, but the guy who got his face burnt quickly died? Make that make sense. This movie was a waste. SyFy needs to invest in better writers or better directors, I don't care which. I can tolerate bad CGI and amateur acting if the story is decent.

Bizarre (2015)

I have no idea what I just watched

[5/10 · 3 October 2023]

I'll be honest: I only watched this movie for the cute lead and his accent. The...romance?... between Maurice and Luka was interesting. Nothing else about this movie made sense.

What was the point of the shower recording?

Why did Maurice stop letting Luka look at him at night?

Maurice and Luka had an argument about Charlie and then things were suddenly fine again?

Why did the old man try to kill Maurice?

Why did Maurice leave France?

Why did he set the bomb?

Where did he set the bomb?

This story had potential, but it's full of holes, and the holes ruin it. There was no character development.

The People We Hate at the Wedding (2022)

Hilarious from the start

[7/10 · 2 September 2023]

This movie had me laughing the whole way through. Did I want to slap or wring the necks of some of the characters? Absolutely- Kristin's character was a pathetic moron for her relationship and Ben's character's boyfriend was despicable. But the dysfunction was perfectly comedic with witty lines and decent redemption arcs complete with tellings-off that made me snicker and cheer. I knew I would enjoy this movie because of the all-star cast, but it truly had me cackling a few times. Some people called it too crass, but what do you expect when every member of the family is so dysfunctional? I will probably watch this again, even if just to show it to someone else.

We Have a Ghost (2023)

Do Better

[3/10 · 14 August 2023]

The first several minutes were kind of predictable, but the connection between the ghost and the connection was charming. That's where the charm stopped. The father is actually more intolerable than the older brother. He seeks attention with the fervor of someone who will never be satisfied in life and tells his kids to not tell their mom about the very ghost he's posting a video about. I couldn't focus on the main plot because the characters were too annoying. The government conspiracy subplot just made things worse.

I couldn't finish the movie and I don't want to know what kind of content they tried to stretch into 2 hours.

Beauty and the Billionaire (2022)

Chris Reid is impressive

[6/10 · 23 July 2023]

Physically, Chris Reid is obviously quite attractive. That's the cliché of this type of movie and to be expected. However, to be able to portray a character so callous that you can't see past his personality to appreciate the eye candy takes skill. I could feel nothing more than aggressive disdain for him until he finally began to grow as a character.

Beyond that, the story is the typical predictable journey: highly competent but bumbling side piece (the brother), gorgeous modest woman who's not afraid to put an arrogant man in his place and return him to the charming prince he's been hiding for many years.

The 5th Wave (2016)

Conversation failure

[2/10 · 29 June 2023]

I understood the attempted logic of the 1st wave- absence of electricity is going to kill a lot of people.

It started to lose me at the 2nd wave- no explanation whatsoever was given in the movie for how the tsunamis and earthquakes were triggered, and a lake isn't going to become a tsunami unless it's created by a dam. I had to look up the book storyline to make sense of it.

The 3rd wave should've been the 2nd wave for the sake of efficiency and logic.

When I discovered how much was left out of the movie and what plot points were changed, I didn't bother watching the rest. At least the actors were nice to look at.

Memories of a Teenager (2019)

Heartbreaking

[6/10 · 4 May 2023]

I hated the ending, but I read that it's based on a real person, which hits me even harder. Zabo is a teenager whose best friend committed suicide, so his recklessness with drugs, alcohol, and sex, mixed with feelings of stagnation make sense- he doesn't know how to cope. That said, it doesn't excuse how he treats Ramiro or his decisions with Tina. The farther along in the story, the less likeable he is.

The story was hard to follow at times, which I blame on the director. There is no use of lighting differences or dates to indicate the transition between his memories and the present. The dates are used only to tell where he's at in the moment during the present, so it's confusing. It was also difficult to understand the depth of Zabo's connection to Pol because of the minimal presentation of their friendship and lack of timeline clarity.

As someone who has been depressed before and experienced suicidal feelings in the past (don't worry, I'm much healthier now), I think the level of Zabo's pain at the end could've been conveyed better.

Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)

Lacking

[5/10 · 27 October 2022]

Contrary to many people, I thought some parts of the movie were hilarious, and that's the main redeeming quality.

However....

• Winifred got Book from the Devil, not a witch
• Book suddenly has a conscience about the use of its spells?

• Why did the Sandersons immediately break into song and dance?

• Were we supposed to ignore that the witches have visibly aged by 30 years?

• "Great time hack", why would a 17th woman know or use that language?

• Billy's accent is notably different, why?

The ending was easily the weakest part. What is the point of trying to redeem a classically and successfully evil and selfish character? Book switching sides like that ruins it further. I'm disappointed with this movie.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)

It was okay

[6/10 · 3 June 2022]

I knew the special effects would be brilliant, and I get excited about a good dueling scene. I appreciate a storyline buildup.

Now for Grindelwald: Mads has shown that he can play a decent villain, so I don't know if it was the casting choice or the acting choices, but Mads was TERRIBLE in this role. Johnny Depp formed a Grindelwald that was exuberant and calculating, charming and manipulative, unpredictable, and passionate about his cause. Mads Mikkelsen was none of those things, but cold and flat, void of passion, and predictable. He was calm and political, that's it.

He thought it would be creative suicide to copy any of the things JD did, what he did instead was kill the character. The ONLY thing in Mads's favor was chemistry with Jude Law that would've been more difficult with Depp, but they could've made it work.

Something Borrowed (2011)

Gross

[4/10 · 29 January 2022]

The actors are talented and great to look at. That's where the good parts end.

The storyline is absolute garbage. Yes, Darcy is an overtly trash human being all around. But Rachel and Dex are covertly trash human beings. Cheating once on a drunken night is disgusting, but then they continue the affair and we're supposed to feel okay about it? Rachel and Dex are NOT protagonists and I'm not happy for their happily-ever-after. Were they obviously going to end up together? Yeah, but that doesn't counterbalance the infidelity and lies.

The only decent person was Ethan. He did what he could as a friend. When there was nothing for him, he moved on with his life. I was glad Rachel didn't get with him because she didn't deserve him.

The author and screenwriters clearly have never been cheated on and/or betrayed.

Single All the Way (2021)

I loved it

[7/10 · 3 December 2021]

The beginning with his work life was obnoxiously gay and made me cringe- and I'm a gay man. I can relate to the plant dad thing, though I buy them from fascination and not from loneliness, and I do not name them.

Yes, the love story was predictable, but aren't most of these movies? Granted, I enjoy Hallmark movies. I knew something was wrong with the boyfriend because he was too hot and the story wouldn't have worked with him in the picture. I didn't expect him to be married, though. I actually felt bad about James because he was a really nice guy in addition to being gorgeous.

This was a PERFECT casting. Jennifer Coolidge, Kathy Najimy, and Jennifer Robertson are so great at playing quirky characters.

Regression (I) (2015)

Messes with you in a good way

[6/10 · 12 September 2021]

As an avid Potterhead, any production with Emma Watson is a must-watch for me. I began to guess parts of the ending because of Emma's performance. Her character started to seem disingenuous to me, like...I wasn't convinced by how she felt. This is Emma Watson we're talking about, not a subpar actress or someone not giving their best performance, so if I stopped empathizing with her, it was intentional on her part- even if other viewers didn't notice it. There were other clues, such as her statements about blending in. In some ways, I was tricked, in other ways not. The nightmare scenes had me a bit twisted, but that might've been because I was really tired when I watched it. This was an interesting film.

The Kissing Booth 3 (2021)

Eh

[6/10 · 4 September 2021]

I found the list scenes funny, like the Mario theme and the flash mob. But the competition between Noah and Marco was childish and petty. She already chose Noah, so why is he acting like that? Marco only staying in the area because of a girl who didn't choose him...what idiot does that?? The conversation at the end with the "mom" was so refreshing and reflected the maturity this movie desperately needed.

Afterlife of the Party (2021)

Beautiful

[7/10 · 4 September 2021]

It's not a perfect storyline, but this movie was heart-wrenching. Perhaps because I've felt my own pain involving a parent and have to work through it, I felt deeply connected to the character. It's such a sweet ending, though perhaps bittersweet.

Extinction (2018)

What the...

[6/10 · 8 August 2021]

That's how they chose to end it? The premise was novel, but the ending, I had no idea who I was supporting.

Soul (2020)

Not sure

[7/10 · 16 July 2021]

Obviously the visuals are nothing short of incredible. The music is wonderful. The themes about living life are beautiful.

But let's be realistic:

By no stretch of the imagination is this a movie for kids. It's fantastic for adults, but since when is Pixar focusing on adults? This is a very dark and existential movie about who lives and who dies with realistically depressing points. It's profound, but I spent more time shocked about their story choices than enjoying the movie. I'm conflicted about whether or not this is a good film. Mind-blowing in some respects, entirely cognitively inappropriate in other respects. I'm not sure what they were going for here.

In the Heights (2021)

Bravo

[8/10 · 12 June 2021]

As a fan of the original, I knew they had big shoes to fill, and they did not disappoint!

The choreography was impeccable, as was the casting.

Yes, they took out Nina's mother, removed 3 songs, and slightly altered some lyrics. As someone who's really picky about that stuff, I was still very impressed with how they did it. I'm already excited for the DVD.

I Care a Lot (2020)

Are there any good characters?

[5/10 · 20 March 2021]

Even though Marla was finally killed, she was permitted to make millions and billions from taking advantage of the elderly before she went down. Not satisfying.

Midsommar (2019)

A mind bender

[7/10 · 2 February 2021]

My initial reaction was to give it 5 or 6 stars because the ending had me like, "What...tf". But then I considered the mastery of the story, the direction, and the rawness and felt it deserved a 7th star.

The psychedelic nature of the environment, the rituals, and the drugging of the guests brings a surreal feeling that leaves you constantly guessing. You know someone is going to soon die again, but you don't know who or for what purpose...yet.

I only noticed one moment of true foreshadowing. There were clues about other parts, but the unanswered, "What about 75+?" specifically told me I would see elderly sacrifices. If you pay attention to the images, then some other parts make sense as to why they're happening and what they mean.

I appreciate the body casting and the use of nudity and sex. For the sex scene, they truly went realistic with it. The penetration was the only thing that was sensored- they would've had to make it NC-17 for that because it would've been porn. It's not meant to be romantic sex that serves the heart or borderline pornographic sex that visually satisfies the libido, it's clearly a connection with nature and life. Additionally, Jack Reynor doesn't have a fit, athletic body. Yeah, he's still relatively thin and a bit sturdy, but he's not all muscled. He looks regular, and I love that. It's more realistic. Fine, I'll be honest- as a gay guy, he's my type and I enjoyed the view.

Yes, this movie is disturbing, but you can't hate the people or fear them. They're not sadistic, psychopathic, or sociopathic. They're a community in celebration of their culture and heritage. This was a brilliant effort for the writers and director.

The ending is what twisted me the most. Not only did they ritualistically burn the guy alive after he potentially impregnated someone, but his girlfriend then smiled as if she was free. How completely messed up and manipulated is/was she to feel liberated by watching him burn alive? Was it because she had a new family?