Tag: MovieBlog

Free Guy

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Guy (Ryan Reynolds) is a bank teller who lives in Free City. Every day is the same and soon he starts to wonder – is there more to life? When he realizes that he is actually a background player in an open world video game, he takes matters into his own hands. Instead of playing it safe, Guy will become a hero.

One of my most anticipated movies of the year, the theatrical release of Free Guy had previously been impacted by the pandemic. I finally had the chance to watch it over the weekend and it truly was everything I had hoped it would be and more.

This is Ryan Reynolds at his absolute best and he did not let me down. The story was intricately planned out and executed, the special effects were brilliant and all the jokes had me laughing out loud.

The rest of the cast were so on point too. I have loved Jodie Comer since discovering her talent on Killing Eve and she was wonderful as coder Millie. After seeing her in this role, I hope she will go on to star in many more blockbuster hits. Joe Keery of Stranger Things fame was a pleasant surprise. Like Jodie, I hadn’t seen him in anything outside of the show that launched him to stardom. I enjoyed his characters Keys and thought he added something extra to the story. And then there was Taika Waititi who was outstanding as antagonist Antoine. He was both hilarious and over the top crazy which I got a kick out of.

Everything about Free Guy landed for me. It was such escapism and held my interest from the get-go. In addition to it being a ton of fun, it also has great morals and will surely leave you in a great mood.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥.5

Vivo

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Ever since he was young, it was always Vivo (Lin Manuel Miranda), a kinkajou and his owner Andres (Juan de Marcos Gonzalez) against the world playing music for the people of Havana. When tragedy strikes, Vivo takes it upon himself to deliver a love song from Andres to Marta Sandoval (Gloria Estefan), his lost love and a famous singer. With the help of a teenage girl named Gabi (Ynairaly Simo), they travel through Florida in hopes of getting to Marta’s farewell concert before it’s too late.

Vivo had been on my list for some time. I really wanted to see it because of Lin Manuel Miranda who not only stars as the title character, but who wrote and composed all the music. They were certainly the highlight of the film and brought such a bright atmosphere to an otherwise somber movie.

Despite the colorful setting and the very talented cast which also included the likes of Zoe Saldana, Michael Rooker, Nicole Buyer and Katie Lowes, the rest of the plot was just okay. It wasn’t very surprising and at times I kind of wanted it to move along more. I think I kind of expected more from it at times.

All that being said, Vivo is a story about hope and finding your place in the world. It is also about accepting others as well as yourself in the process. It did leave me feel warm and fuzzy inside so I guess it did it’s job!

Rating: ♥♥♥

The Kissing Booth 3

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It’s the last summer before college and Elle Evans (Joey King) is determined to make it the best one yet. Together with her best friend Lee (Joel Courtney), his girlfriend Rachel (Meganne Young) and Elle’s boyfriend Noah (Jacob Elordi), they make a plan to stay at the Flynn family beach house before it’s sold. But Elle has some decisions to make and she soon finds herself torn between Lee and Noah. Lee wants her to go to Berkeley with him like they always planned, but Noah is banking on her choosing Harvard where he studies. It will surely be a summer neither of them will forget.

I was curious to see how the final instalment of The Kissing Booth trilogy would come to a close. And while I was mostly satisfied with the ending, I have to say that everything leading up to it left much to be desired.

Elle and Noah are supposed to be this cute couple that you want to root for, but fuck were they annoying. I couldn’t take their constant back and forth and just wanted them to either sit down to talk or break up for good. Instead though, Elle was whiny and would turn to anyone but Noah to talk about their issues and Noah was just a straight up douche who would flee whenever a problem arose. To say it was exhausting watching them is an understatement.

I also didn’t think the way Lee treated Elle was right. They are supposed to be best friends who have each others’ back through it all and it didn’t seem that way. I understand her choosing between the two brothers is integral to the plot, however it got old fast. No wonder Elle could barely figure out what she wanted to do with her life. She was being pulled in every direction.

All in all, I kind of expected more from The Kissing Booth 3. While the story ended on a high, it was way too messy to get there in the first place and I’m happy it’s over.

Rating: ♥♥.5

The Suicide Squad

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Our favorite supervillains are back in a sequel/reboot to 2016’s Suicide Squad. When the government decides to send Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) etc. to the remote island of Corto Maltese, they soon realize that their mission will not be an easy one. Dealing with the various obstacles thrown in their wake, their biggest test of all will be not coming to blows with one another.

The Suicide Squad directed by James Gunn was quite possibly the movie I had been looking forward to the most all summer. It is certainly one that I was very excited to see this year. Unlike many others, I actually liked the first Suicide Squad, but even I have to admit that this version takes the cake. The stakes were higher and it was just completely epic.

I loved the over the top battle scenes and the blood and gore. They were brought to a whole new level and didn’t let up once! I was losing my mind in the cinema at how crazy some of the scenes were. Pretty sure had I been watching at home that I would have yelled multiple times out of pure excitement.

Additionally, the humor was on point. I was laughing out loud the whole way through and that was all thanks to the incredible cast. So many notable names and the characters they played. Honorable mentions go to Ratcatcher 2 and King Shark, however I can’t leave out my girl Harley. She was brilliant in this.

With fabulous music and a fast paced storyline that kept me on the edge of my seat, The Suicide Squad more than exceeded my expectations. Dare I go as far to say that it is DC’s best film to date?

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

The Green Knight

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Based on the Arthurian legend, The Green Knight follows Sir Gawain (Dev Patel) as he embarks on a life or death quest to combat against the famous giant who has threatened Camelot. Risking his life (and his head), Gawain sets off on a journey that turns out to be so much more than he ever could have expected. Not only does he want to prove himself to his family and the court, but he hopes to learn more about himself in the process.

I grew up loving Arthurian legends and so my wanting to watch this movie seemed like a no brainer. I was really looking forward to it and the trailer looked amazing. Sadly, I was very much let down. This was not at all what I had been expecting. In fact, I left the cinema wondering what the fuck I had just watched. A day later and I am still scratching my head, unable to comprehend it.

First of all, the pacing of the film was way too slow. I struggled to pay attention and found everything happened at a snail’s pace. On top of that, it was confusing. I understand that this was supposed to be a unique and artistic approach to a classic story, but it didn’t work. The plot got muddled and the various chapter titles throughout were distracting as well as hard to read. Not to mention as well that the music was often too loud and would sometimes drown out what the characters were saying to one another.

I did think that the cinematography was well done, though it would have been nice to have less dark scenes. Sometimes it was hard to see what was happening on screen. I also thought that Dev Patel did a great job and I am a fan of Alicia Vikander, but that’s about all the positives I can say about it.

Unfortunately, The Green Knight missed all the marks for me. Maybe my expectations were too high, I don’t know. All I do know is that I wasted two hours of my life and I will never get them back.

Rating: ♥♥

Jungle Cruise

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Based on the Disney ride, Jungle Cruise tells the story of Dr. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) and her quest to find an ancient tree deep in the Amazon that holds the power to heal. Together with her brother McGregor (Jack Whitehall), they enlist the help of Frank (Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson), a skipper who knows the river like the back of his hand. Their journey won’t be simple, however, as they are faced with all that the jungle has to offer as well as several foes who covet finding the tree too.

This was a ton of fun! I am so glad I made us watch this in the cinema because we got to experience it the way it was supposed to be experienced. I truly loved everything about this movie. It was full of humor and heart and I cannot get over the amazing chemistry that Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson had with one another. Their back and forth banter was captivating to watch and I could have watched them all day long. I must say though that Jack Whitehall really impressed me. He stole every scene that he was in and I could not stop cracking up at his lines.

The plot itself was interesting and kept me entranced the whole way through. I was on the edge of my seat and just when I thought I knew what was going to happen next, I had to think again. Time completely flew by and I didn’t want it to end.

Once again, Disney really outdid themselves. The effects were next level and at times I really felt like I was there. I had high hopes for Jungle Cruise and it did not disappoint. I was left a permanent smile on my face that I am sure won’t go away anytime soon. Fingers crossed they end up turning it into a franchise because I would totally be onboard.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard

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Unlicensed and under scrutiny, bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) decides it’s time to take a break. All seems to be going well until hitman Darius Kicaid’s (Samuel L. Jackson) wife Sonia (Salma Hayek) tracks Michael down and asks for his help. Soon, all three find themselves in a mission to save Europe from madman Aristotle Papadopolous (Antonio Banderas) and his evil scheme to get rid of Europe and change the world as they know it forever.

I had been looking forward to this one. 2017’s The Hitman’s Bodyguard was a ton of fun and I thought that this would be similar. Having to wait for more than a month to see it was tough and I couldn’t wait until it hit Demand so that I could finally check it out. Sadly my excitement was short lived.

First of all, there was way too much going on plot wise. More than half of the time I was confused and had to ask my husband what was happening. Also, I know for movie purposes that certain things are heightened, but it seriously bugged me at how unrealistic some of the scenes were. Unfortunately, a lot of eye rolling occurred.

Ryan Reynolds is hilarious and I have seen the majority of his films. That being said, I’m starting to think he plays himself in his various roles and I’m not sure if I mean that positively. It is as if they are starting to all blend together into one with their similarities. I did think that Salma Hayek was the best part even though she was seriously over the top. If I close my eyes, I can still hear her screeching voice. I must add that it is also always a treat to see Morgan Freeman.

While Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard was a letdown for me, there were some parts where I found myself laughing out loud. I also enjoyed the action sequences and thought they didn’t let up for one second. At the end of the day though, the movie was a mess and I kind of wish I had just given it a miss.

Rating: ♥♥

The Last Letter From Your Lover

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Ellie Haworth (Felicity Jones) is a journalist who one day stumbles across a secret love letter from 1965. Wanting to learn more about Jennifer Stirling (Shailene Woodley) and Anthony O’Hare’s (Callum Turner) love affair, her own love story unfolds with the help of Rory (Nabhaan Rizwan), an archivist who aids her in finding more letters.

Based upon the novel by Jojo Moyes, The Last Letter To Your Lover was something I knew I needed to add to my TBR before the film’s release. All I hoped for was that the adaption would be just as good as the book! Luckily I was not disappointed! The film followed the book rather closely and the few changes that were made were necessary.

The aspect that I liked most in the book was seeing how Jennifer and Anthony’s relationship blossomed and so I appreciated the way in which this was shown in the movie. The chemistry between Shailene Woodley and Callum Turner was super believable and a joy to watch. Despite knowing where the plot was going, I was still holding my breath in hopes that they would find their way back to each other.

Similarly I enjoyed the parallels between both female protagonists. I remember thinking that Ellie’s story could have been more fleshed out in the book and was therefore glad that there was more of her on screen. It really drove home her connection to the love affair and I liked how each scene seemed to be interwoven together.

There was something really charming mixing the two time periods together. Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong year and I definitely found myself yearning for the 60s while watching. The fashion in particular was absolutely stunning and I coveted all of Jennifer’s outfits.

The Last Letter From Your Lover definitely lived up to my expectations. In some ways I actually think it was better than I was hoping for. It was dreamy, heart wrenching and utterly romantic. I highly recommend it.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Fear Street Part 3: 1666

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In the final instalment of the Fear Street trilogy, we are transported back in time to 1666. Finally, we would be able to see the beginning of Sarah Fier’s curse! Not only do we have the chance to witness the events leading up to her death, but we are also able to have a better understanding of who she really was. Meanwhile, back in 1994, the teenagers are once again in a race against time to save Shadyside and put an end to the curse forever.

When the movie started, I’ll admit that I was skeptical. While I’m so happy to have learned more about Sarah, it took a little bit of time for the story to take off. As soon as things picked up though, I was completely transfixed and couldn’t tear my eyes away from the screen. I thought it was interesting as well how the lives of Sarah and Hannah seemed to mimic those of Deena and Sam’s and how at the end of the day the theme of love was at the root of the entire story.

The way in which everything came together was really impressive. I was hoping for a proper wrap up and was not let down in the slightest. There were twists and turns galore, however the main one was pulled off so incredibly well that I was left speechless. Still two days later, I am thinking about it! Now that I have seen all three films, I would love to rewatch them sequentially so that I can catch the little clues and see how they fall into place.

I am still amazed at how much of a treat Fear Street has been for me. Sure I was curious at first, but I never expected to become such a dedicated fan. I hope that this isn’t the last we have seen of this franchise but until then, I am going to seriously consider venturing future into the horror genre.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥.5

Space Jam: A New Legacy

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The much anticipated sequel to 1996’s Space Jam is here! A New Legacy sees superstar Lebron James at the forefront. When he and his son Dom (Cedric Joe) get trapped in a digital space by AI-G Rhythm (Don Cheadle), the only way they can get home is if they play a basketball game. With the help of the Looney Tune gang, anything is possible.

I had so many expectations for this movie. Space Jam is one of my all time favorites – I rewatch it on the regular and hold it in very high regard. Sadly, the reboot fell short for me. There were certain things that I did like such as the jokes, seeing beloved cartoons like Tweety and Lola (Zendaya) again as well as all the throwbacks they made to the original. The effects were also stepped up which helped add an extra element.

However, that is where the enjoyment ended for me. The plot was not interesting in the slightest and I felt like it took forever for the story to get going. Basically I could have done without the entire first hour. At times it also seemed as if the movie was one big marketing campaign for other WB pictures. I thought that was smart in beginning, but it became overused as the film went on.

Space Jam: A New Legacy was…interesting to say the least. I am happy I saw it and that it was my first movie back in the cinema since last September. Part of me wishes that they had left a good thing alone though. Not every single thing needs a reboot or a sequel!

Rating: ♥♥