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Matt_TheGuyWhoLikesMovies
Reviews
Baby Driver (2017)
It is an Entertaining Movie
This movie was great, I had a rad time. Let's talk pros and cons.
Pros:
(1) The Soundtrack is the crowning achievement of this film, how Edgar Wright managed to pull off all these coordinated musical action scenes is mind boggling to me. This aspect of the film alone is worth the price of admission. (2) The characters are great. These characters are really fun to watch and there was only one in the movie that I didn't like. (3) The action. The action/chase scenes in this movie are filmed brilliantly. I could always clearly follow what was happening, unlike most action scenes in movies nowadays. (4) The pacing. This movie is paced perfectly, Edgar Wright is the master of pacing.
Cons:
(1) I did not like Jamie Foxx's character, Bats. He kept saying that he was crazy but I had trouble believing that based on his performance, I think paranoid would be a more apt name. (2) There was one scene in the film (towards the end) where someone acted completely out of character, and it bothered me.
Any of my cons are really only nitpicks and you should definitely check this movie out if you're considering watching it at all.
It Comes at Night (2017)
Favorite Movie of the Year so Far
This movie was great. All the performances, the thick tenseness of the story and just the overall atmosphere of the film.
Apparently most audiences were led to believe that this film was something entirely different based on the trailers and the title, luckily I avoid all trailers as common practice so I was able to go into the film blind.
As a result I was treated to a wonderfully disturbing thriller about human nature.
There are a few problems with this movie the main one being the internal logic of a character. Multiple times this character puts himself in dangerous situations for essentially no reason, I would have let it go if it just happened once, but it didn't. Also there was a jump scare towards the beginning of the film that I wasn't too fond of but I suppose it works within the context of the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and If you're thinking about going to see it then definitely check it out, but steer clear of the trailer.
Get Out (2017)
A Nice Surprise
This movie was very good. At times it's genuinely creepy at others its downright hilarious, everything a good horror comedy should be. I liked the music also, I thought it was very reminiscent of classic horror films. I don't know if I would count this against the film but the trailer pretty much spoiled everything which was unfortunate. Go check it out if you haven't already.
The Greasy Strangler (2016)
Weird Movie
I wouldn't call this a good movie, but I think I can attribute that to personal taste. The acting is purposefully terrible, and there is an overabundance of gross-out humor, if that sounds like your wheelhouse you'll probably laugh a lot. I personally though, don't like that type of thing so I didn't have a good time with this film. I didn't like the CGI used when people were murdered, really took me out of the movie. I like weird films, but only if they are weird for a reason, this movie is just being weird for weirdness's sake alone, and while it's admirable I can't really recommend it to others.
Gifted (2017)
Perfectly Fine Movie
This movie is fine, it has some good things in it, and it has some bad things in it.
Good
1) Performances were OK, Chris Evans does an above average job. 2) The plot was comprehensible. Which is more than I can say for Marc Webb'sprevious film. 3) People seemed to find it funny. A lot of people in the theatre were laughing. I guess it's objectively humorous but I only laughed once. 4) I laughed when that one kids diorama was destroyed on the bus. I hate kids and watching misery befall them brings me joy.
Bad
1) Jenny Slate's character (the teacher) was a complete cliché and incredibly annoying, the less she was in the movie the better. 2) Use of Hand-held camera. This is not an action movie or a found footage horror film, why Webb chose to use shaky cam in some scenes is a complete mystery to me, and whenever it happened it took me out of the movie. 3) Deus ex Machina. The completed equation crap at the end of the movie is a stupid way to write yourself out of a whole and have a happy ending so your audience can go home with a smile slapped across their face. 4) Some scenes were really out of place. The scene when Chris Evans and his mom were talking in the garden felt really out of place, as, in the previous scene they were in a bleak courtroom fighting over the kid's custody. If it was in another part of the movie it might have worked.
Overall I'm right down the middle with this film, I wouldn't call it good nor would I call it bad. If you like kids and laugh at fun family friendly movies then this is for you. A lot of elderly folk at my screening so I guess if you're a senior go watch it, but I'm in Florida right now so it might just be that.
The Lobster (2015)
Weird Movie, But Swag Nonetheless
What you have to understand about this movie is that its weird as sh!t and you have to choose whether to roll with it or not. If you choose to just accept the inherent weirdness of this movie then you've got yourself a great dark comedy with some really intriguing commentary on relationships in the 21st century. If not well then you'll probably hate it. Anyway I really enjoyed it and I think it's probably one of the best movies of 2016 so I would recommend it; But if you don't like movies that are too outside "the norm" then maybe it's not for you.
Ah-ga-ssi (2016)
Chan-wook Park Does it Again
I'll keep this brief as I think if you really want to enjoy this movie you should go into it knowing as little as possible. This movie is amazing; I like it even more than Oldboy, and I LOVE Oldboy. The story of this movie is so well done and it gets even better as you re-watch it and notice new details as it unfolds. It isn't just that though, the performances, cinematography, the music, everything is impeccable.
This is one of my new favorite movies, PLEASE go watch it.
Under the Skin (2013)
Visual Storytelling at it's Finest
This movie isn't a traditional sci-fi thriller. If the concept of an alien woman seducing men into following her and killing them was handed off to a different director this would have been a very different movie. Thankfully Jonathan Glazer made this film.
The way in which this story is told leaves a lot to interpretation. People have compared this movie to 2001: A Space Odyssey, and I can definitely see some Kubrick here. It's up to us, the viewers to decipher what the movie is about, Glazer respects us enough to not dumb down his story for the general audience's sake. I loved watching this movie and picking apart just what it meant, and I think I have a pretty good understanding of everything that occurred after seeing it twice.
This movie is disturbing. I don't easily get squeamish but this movie really shook me (one scene in particular). The aliens in this movie are cold and emotionless and the way in which they kill is similarly cold and calculated. The soundtrack contributes to the general tone of fear and unease as the movie progresses (I'm listening to it to help me write this).
Scarlett Johansen is paramount to this film. Her character is always uninterested in those around her, unless she is on the hunt or trying to experience something new. When she does have to attract prey she pretends to be kind and naive despite her unpleasant motives. She is flawless.
The fact that Glazer used normal pedestrians as extras in his movie was a unique choice. I had a hard time understanding some of them through their accents (the ignorant American that I am), but ultimately their contribution to the plot of the story is minimal so I didn't mind it that much. At one point in the film a shot was out of focus, and I can't really say if it was intentional or not so I attributed it to using the extras previously mentioned. Maybe he shot it so well the first time that he thought he wouldn't get a better reaction if he tried again, oh well, minor nitpick.
All in all the movie is a smart, disturbing science fiction experience and while I wouldn't recommend it to everyone I think if you enjoy visual storytelling you'll have a blast with this movie.