frank_foresta Reviews

The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)

Flanagan Indeed Does It Again

[9/10 · 16 November 2023]

From horror master, Mike Flanagan, The Fall of the House of Usher is another fantasic addition to his continuing annual October offerings. Brilliantly weaving Poe works together, the series goes far beyond expectations and tells a moving, poignant story that invites deep introspection. All of Flanagan's shows do and it's why I've come to look forward to them so much. If you've enjoyed The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, or Midnight Mass, you will like this one as well.

The only reason I didn't give a 10 is because some of it was slightly predictable, but it's based on well known works so that's kind of par for the course.

Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood especially dazzle acting-wise with Gugino giving her best Flanagan performance to date, in my opinion. She deserves Emmy recognition for this.

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

A Fun, Welcome Addition To The Star Wars Canon

[8/10 · 26 May 2018]

Star Wars movies as of late, namely The Last Jedi, have had an uphill battle in the court of public opinion. This movie suffers the same fate. Before the movie came out, fans made up their minds that this new Han wasn't up to snuff, that the movie was unnecessary, and that it wouldn't be very good. I heard it countless times when I asked friends/fellow fans when they were going to see it - and I don't think that's fair. You should see it before judging it and I think this movie is pretty damn good.

To start, relative newcomer Alden Ehrenreich is the perfect young Han Solo. It shouldn't be compared to Harrison Ford because this outing in no way attempts to usurp him. Ehrenreich's aura as Han is awesome - and exactly how I always imagined a young Han to be.

As for whether the movie is unecessary, I don't think so. It's a fun way to see all the moments of Han's story never captured on film - meeting Chewbacca, first seeing the Millenium Falcon, meeting Lando, etc and I had a lot of fun seeing them.

The story itself is pretty good too - with a few ending surprises to boot. It continues an extra 10 minutes to set up future installments should they come to fruition, which I was a little 'eh' about, but the central narrative that they tell is engaging, entertaining, and cool.

I enjoyed Solo and I will be seeing it again. Definitely recommend.

Deadpool 2 (2018)

I Really, Really Hated This Movie

[2/10 · 26 May 2018]

I need to start by saying I see pretty much every Marvel movie and usually enjoy them all. This one is an exception. I enjoyed Deadpool's first outing fine - but this one takes it too far.

I think based on the success of the first film, the people behind Deadpool 2 thought they could amp everything up - the sillyness, the crudeness, and the ridiculousness. While I don't personally have a problem with the amped up crudeness, the silly, nonsensical nature of the film goes way too far. At times it's a laughable mess that's absolutely unwatchable.

The whole narrative that this film takes on is unnecessary and the lengths it goes to in order to be able to tell the story of the helpless kid mutant is absolute ludicrousness. The kid's story is fine, but Deadpool's narrative suffers for it because the movie isn't really about him, his life, or anything that made us like Deadpool's first film.

Bottom line: I wouldn't see this movie again if I was paid the ticket price just to go. It's that bad.

Beast (III) (2017)

An Intriguing Push and Pull

[8/10 · 26 May 2018]

One word that describes this film: interesting.

It presents a push-and-pull where the viewer really doesn't know where the story is going to go - or willing to go. That part was fun though. Moll (Jessie Buckley) meets Pascal (Johnny Flynn) on a night where a brutal murder takes place in their small town. They get along quick and become an item. Later, the local police are interested in Pascal as a suspect for this murder - and others that link to it. Then, whether or not he did it, and whether or not Moll is willing to be his false alibi, are tussled with for the duration of the film.

I liked all of those parts and it kept me guessing all the way up until the end. The ending itself was pretty surprising as well. What I struggled with is how annoying Moll's family was. They sheltered her because of a previous 'episode' she had - one that never fully reveals itself, either. Moll is, however, an adult and her mother especially is maddening - to the point that it took me out of the movie and made me angry.

That being said, the thriller aspect of the film was good - and the acting from Buckley and Flynn was definitely up to snuff. I would recommend seeing Beast.

Tully (2018)

Really, Really Good... Until The Last 10 Minutes

[8/10 · 26 May 2018]

Tully is a beautiful movie - for all but the last 10 minutes. Charlize Theron carries the movie amazingly, as always. Mackenzie Davis supports her beautifully as the titular character as well. Tully scores big for its honest portrayal of a struggling mother. It isn't afraid to go where it wants to go - and that kind of unabashed storytelling is amazing...

But then, it presents a twist that I am not sure works. My reviews are spoiler free, so I won't dive into it, but I'm not convinced this was always the working ending. I think they could have concluded the movie in a different way that would allow the tale to become a classic. This way, it's a see-it-once and never again kind of movie, in my opinion.

Definitely worth seeing, but a little too shocking for its own good.

Anything (2017)

Definitely Worth A View

[8/10 · 26 May 2018]

You're definitely going to find Anything's strengths in its cast. Matt Bomer gives a beautiful supporting performance as the troubled transgender neighbor to Early - a character desperate to find a reason to keep living once his wife passes away.

John Carroll Lynch offers seemingly everything to this role as Early. You feel for him, and with him, through the tribulations in his life. Maura Tierney also soars as the disapproving sister.

Where the story lacks here and there, the characters make up for it - and the story is pretty moving and engaging enough anyway. I would have liked a bit more substance and finality to the ending, but I enjoyed it - and I recommend seeing Anything.

Love, Simon (2018)

A heartfelt, relevant, necessary love story!

[10/10 · 15 April 2018]

Love, Simon is a game-changer for the commercial film industry. While LGBTQ+ audiences have had independent, low budget films that cater to them for some time, this is the first film supported by a major studio that is about and marketed to LGBTQ+ teen audiences. It's so incredibly relevant and Nick Robinson's portrayal of Simon is so pitch-perfect that this will be iconic forever. He is straight in his personal life, but still somehow taps into the emotions I've had growing up gay all my life - and he conveys them so subtley and spot on. I resonate with this movie and character so much and I've never seen the moviegoing audience with me in the theater go so crazy! It's a must see - everything is amazing and perfect!!!