Tag: AdriaArjona

Splitsville

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

Carey (Kyle Marvin) and Ashley (Adria Arjona) have been married for only thirteen months when she says she wants a divorce. Beside himself, Carey runs to his best friend Paul (Michael Angelo Covino) and his wife Julie (Dakota Johnson) for advice. When Carey learns their secret to a happy marriag, he decides to go for it, leaving a trial of chaos in his wake.

Written by both male leads and directed by Covino, this is an interesting take on open relationships. This is a concept that has recently become more popular and while it may work for some, it is clear that it becomes quite complicated for the four main characters. As a result, they come off as being annoying and unlikeable, but that is what makes the film work so well. The fact that the film is so self aware is why it excels.

This was brilliantly casted. Marvin and Covino are hilarious and completely over the top. They may be best friends, but they do butt heads. One of the funniest scenes I have had the pleasure of witnessing all year took place between the two of them. I have not laughed that hard or that long in ages. Johnson is once again beautiful and magnetic while Arjona is fiery; stubborn and needed more screen time. All four worked so well off of each other.

While the film starts strong, immediately hooking the audience, it does lose pace in the final act. I couldn’t help but wonder how long the same jokes would work until they began to feel overstuffed and repetitive. It also felt like everything was tied up way too neatly for my liking which almost seemed out of place.

Overall, Splitsville is one of the funniest films I have seen in some time. It’s modern and isn’t afraid to push boundaries when needed. Though it is not perfect by any means, there is still a lot to enjoy as long as it’s not taken too seriously!

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️.5

Hit Man

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

From director Richard Linklater comes a caper full of twists and turns that is a guaranteed good time! Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) is a college psychology professor who also moonlights as a hit man for the New Orleans police. When he breaks protocol to help Madison (Adria Arjona), a woman who is trying to leave her abusive husband, the two lives that he has worked so hard to keep separate suddenly blur together.

Powell is hands down one of the best actors around right now. He has been on a steady incline and I’m sure he will only keep getting better. This role solidifies him as a bona fide star. The different personas that he dons while dealing with different clients just got better and better; I couldn’t decide which one was my favorite! Arjona, who I was not previously familiar with, holds her own against Powell. Their chemistry is electric and full of passion and I couldn’t help but swoon when they were on screen together.

I have to admit that there were some pacing issues throughout the film. It seemed as though a lot of time passed until things really started to happen. I didn’t mind the slow burn because I feel like the payoff was worth it, but I can imagine that other people would have expected more. Once the twists kept coming however, they didn’t stop. I do think that they tried to pack so much in that the ending was abrupt as a result.

Hit Man is a film with something for everyone to enjoy. The fact that it is based on true events is pretty cool! Having the chance to join Gary on his adventures and never knowing what to expect was a great way to spend a Friday night.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️

Morbius

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

After many reshoots and delays, Morbius hit cinemas this weekend. The story follows Michael Morbius (Jared Leto), a doctor who has suffered from a rare blood disease his whole life. Working on a cure for himself and his best friend Milo (Matt Smith), he accidentally turns himself into a vampire when his experiment goes wrong.

This movie is getting a lot of hate. On some level, I can see the problems. The script was stilted at times. A lot of the lines were corny and the few jokes that were attempted didn’t land. The special effects, for a superhero movie, were mediocre at best. And the plot dragged at times. It started off strongly enough for any origin story and I thought okay, I can really get into this. However, by the third act, I was bored and wondering when something new was going to happen.

With that being said, I think the critics are being a bit harsh. There were some aspects that make this film worth watching. Jared Leto single handedly carried it on his back. I’ve always found him to be a dynamic actor and I think he did a great job as the titular character. Matt Smith, in yet another antagonist role, was fun to watch. He did get annoying after awhile, but you could tell he was giving it his all. I would have appreciated more from Adria Arjona as Martine though I suppose they are setting up a bigger arc for her in the potential sequel.

I also liked the way in which the echolocation was used. This form of heightened hearing was really interesting to watch and I thought it was one of the more impressive effects.

Is Morbius the best superhero movie I have ever seen? No. It’s not the worst one either though. I think there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to flesh everything out. It’ll be interesting to see where they go from here, especially since those post credit scenes didn’t give us much to go by.

Rating: ♥♥.5