javan23

Flanagan has written, adapted and directed some of the best horror of the past decade. But while Usher treads all of the familiar territory of a Mike Flanagan production (large family, unresolved trauma, Catholicism, emotional ghosts, long monologues) it simply lacks the charm and intimacy we've come to expect. Yes it has its satisfying moments, and Mike sure knows how to create intrigue. No matter how unpleasant the subject matter. However, the script and performances are just so obnoxious, it feels like Rian Johnson's brain numbing Glass Onion. Not pleasant to watch these stiff characters pretend to hate each other. And frankly watching distasteful people get their comeuppance is what I call shallow entertainment. I know these characters weren't written by mistake. But I just prefer the warmth found in Flanagans previous works.

As a Tarantino fan, I am not opposed to fun in my movies. What sometimes people mistake for "style over substance" is often just creative filmmaking that sticks out because it is disrupting the casual way we watch movies and how we rely on predictable beats to follow along. However! This film is so indulgent. Lame jokes, lazy characterization and so many storytelling redundancies. I am not one of those people that groans at a movies runtime. But this film does not have a story deserving of 140 minutes! I do believe there is a much more palatable movie hidden somewhere in the middle of this marathon. Johnson claims to want each subsequent Knives Out film to be completely unique. New characters, setting, theme, etc. But he seems married to the 2.5 hour movie despite it not serving the story in this case. There is still a lot to like. Especially Daniel Craig, (who was under utilized). But I was definitely disappointed after a strong original production last time around.

The characters feel grounded and make choices that feel right in the moment. They actually need to be convinced to do stupid things. Risks are taken by each person involved in a way that is proportionate to their circumstances (Which is sort of one of the points of film). These sorts of details are important to me in a movie like this.

There is a palpable sense of dread and terror created via the slow revelations about our villain.

However, I will say that the ending, while effective, is underwhelming. I cannot claim to have a better suggestion, but it felt too abrupt. Anvari feels like he was holding back. The build was perfect and warranted more of a release than was provided. Still, an excellent movie and my feelings about the ending may change upon subsequent viewing.

This is deeply unfulfilling stuff. I'm sorry but there needed to be a conclusion. A revelation, a twist. Anything. Truth is stranger than fiction, and in real life there was no closure because The Watcher was never revealed. But to be dragged around for 8 meandering episodes to be left with our main character sitting in his car mildly obsessed with his recent real estate history is a poor excuse for drama or storytelling. 2007s The Zodiac wasn't conclusive, but boy oh boy were the stakes just a little bit higher in that situation. So there was no ending, but what about the journey? Well we didn't really learn anything in a dynamic way did we?... greed is bad? Family is important? People are paranoid and conspiratorial and will do anything for the "good life"... I am underwhelmed.

It is okay, occasionally quite compelling. Great setting and it's fun to see Montreal featured in a major production. Having just spent a couple weeks in Montreal, the French Canadian elements are underplayed which is unfortunate. The tone is remarkably uneven. Comedy is broad but themes are heavy while not given much nuance either. My biggest gripe is how politically correct this show tries to be. The acting is hit or miss. Some characters dialogue is purely ideological and comes off as not only preachy but contrived. Indigenous characters are always depicted as stern, serious, angry and righteous. Indigenous peoples are not all angry left wing activists and Canadas political divide is not as black and white as portrayed.

Walt's heart is in that pristine Gran Torino. It sits alone in the dark of his garage. He covets and protects it but won't share it with anyone. Definitely not his spoiled family. Slowly it comes out into the light, he allows Thao to clean it and eventually gives it to him to keep. Walt learns to be hopeful, there is potential in the next generation. In the end, he is proud to have helped kids like Thao and his sister Sue, even though it's not the America he recognizes anymore.

People who think this movie is racist or appeals to racists are confusing the subject of the movie with the intention of the movie. This is a human story and doesn't treat its audience like idiots.

The characters actions feel so stunted and awkward. The lead actress is extremely unbelievable in this role and some of her reactions made me laugh out loud. Every male character is possessive, creepy, controlling or abusive. Meanwhile the only negative female character, the girl who cheated, was really "innocent" in the end.

Really enjoyed it! Sappy, but I grew up with these movies and I was ready to have my heartstrings tugged. Great interview locations, attention to detail etc. Would have maybe liked to see less splicing of conversations, but sometimes it was necesary due to the way they catergorized the various phases of the decade of filming. I wish each section was a 45 minute episode, but that might just be the hardcore fan in me.

To the people saying it was good Rowling wasn't included more than she already was because she would have been "distracting" etc... you are nuts. She invented this world. They're talking about a series of films based on books she wrote. I dont give a damn what you think about her politics, they are her views and she is entitled to them. I think she should have had interactive interviews. Hundreds of people owe her for their careers.

All star cast validates middling script. The editing and pacing is awkward. About 50% of the jokes don't land, and the satire is surface level. The social media jokes are occasionally quite funny, but really this movie feels more like a product of our distracted age rather than a critique of it.

Villenue delivers an inspired effort. No it's not perfect, but it's efficient. Its scale is massive and immersive. Despite the movies length I totally lost track of time. Villenue has a keen sense for staging effective drama. He builds on some of Lynch's foundation and makes wise (albeit safer) choices where there are major divergences.

The family has great chemistry and the characterization of Boyle is charming. While the various plotlines trod familiar territory of other coming of age type shows/movies, Moone Boy operates on a level above the obvious. The chosen points of emphasis always reveal funny truisms about youth and life at the bottom wrung of a big family. Also the imaginary friend mythos is highly entertaining, allowing O'dowd to exercise his quirky improvisational skillset.

Agaitha Christie for millenials?

I loved the deadpan sense of humour. Many big and unexpected laughs for me and everyone I've shown this to. However, it is the cutting sense of drama that elevates this movie to the level of a classic. By the way of a very satisfying and oddly cathartic character study/arc. The movie explores the existentialism of being a poorly adjusted 30 something. A man with learned helplessness, feeling out matched and stifled. Emotionally arrested and interpersonally hobbled. Learning to grow up by accepting the truth and learning to be useful despite the cruelty of existence.

Michael Shannon was not well utilized, I think a lot of humour could be derived from his stoic presence a la Ron Swanson, but instead they tried to make him goofy and therefore unrelatable. The furrie to bigfoot storyline felt very contrived. Also the humour is bizarre but the acting and editing is naturalistic which makes the movie feel surreal instead of fun or humourous. Also the stock music was very distracting.

Its like cotton candy, sweet for a few moments but absolutely no sustenance.

Performances are strange. Story is lame. The premise is surprisingly boring when played out.

A slow burn to be sure, but a highly satisfying (and devastating) conclusion. The puppets are disturbing and the performances are very layered and frankly, perfect. This feels like a fully realized vision from Matt Holness. I hope he makes more.

It's really a film about how social expectations can confine and prevent you from calling out weird and creepy behavior for fear of being rude.

Nah I'm just kidding! Fascinating plot, super cool setup and effective naturalistic dialog! But boy, are these characters difficult to watch. They make weird decisions and they're generally annoying. Still worth a watch just for the fun twists and turns. The film definitely drags a bit in the middle.

This movie is just so much fun. The chemistry between Willis and Jackson is 90s action movie perfection. They are so fun to watch. Love the Simon says premise, which is a great way for our characters to be moved around NYC, sometimes engaged in heroics other times made to look foolish. The ending is perhaps a bit overkill and could have been resolved on a smaller setpiece. But this remains one of my favorite action movies of all time.

I hate to admit it, but this was just unnecessary. I adore the first movie. It actually had a plot and all the characters had arcs. Zombieland 2 feels like it was made by assembling deleted scenes from the original. There's so little going on. I'm only giving it a 6 because I enjoy the characters so much. Its funny but only because the characters were so well established in the original.

A movie that came into my life at the right time. Yes it has flaws, but that's part of what makes it so endearing. The film captures some of the wild, silly, insane romanticism of young adulthood.

One of my favorite films. Graceful and transcendent. Brendan Gleeson is brilliant.

The politics underpinning the films worldview are empty and ill conceived. Nice cinematography.

I thought this series was a satire or black comedy for the first 15 minutes of episode 1. The exposition/story telling is full of redundancies. It feels like it was edited by someone who has only ever seen documentaries. The music, pacing, editing can be overbearing. However, this is a fascinating, creepy and absorbing story about narcissism and the lust for notoriety in the pissing about age we live in. I am in the greater Toronto area and remember hearing about Luka but had no idea all the background.

Another pointless remake. Characters are flat. Poor direction. Pet Semetary mythology is not given enough attention and feels contrived.