redban02

So I went to see this one on a bored work-day. I just got back from the theaters about 40 minutes ago. Overall - the RT percentage for this movie is way too high, but it's still an OK and watchable film

What I like: the protagonists Andy and Piper are both likable (though Andy is ultimately the one for the audience to get behind because Piper has a limiting handicap). There are some creepy moments, particularly involving the little boy Ollie. For a horror, the movie still has some lofty ambitions, with messages about grief and motherhood. Lastly, the movie doesn't explain the granular details about the mother's demonic ritual, such as the rules and origins; but I like that decision. The less we know, the creepier it is

Regardless, I find a bunch of faults .... as I said, the movie has some creepy moments, particulaly involving Ollie; but the scares are spaced between some very dry and slow portions. At numerous points, I found the film had an overreliance on the gross. Some scenes are unnecessarily graphic, in other words. There wasn't, for example, a legitimate need for us to see exposed male genitalia, and certain bloody scenes would've had the same effect if they were toned down ... visually, the movie is quite drab, and rather than make the film more somber or ominious, this visual style made the film an eyesore

I don't wish to spoil, but the ending is unsatisfying and un-memorable, getting a little too bleak in multiple respects. Overall - the same movie could have happened, basically, as a pure mystery-drama instead of a horror if you made some minor adjustments, like taking out the gore and eliminating Ollie's creepy appearance.

6.0/10.

I went today to see Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning. Overall, I was disappointed

The movie has some upsides: Cruise is good as the protagonist . I like the return of the CIA dude from the original movie's wire scene; he made a nice addition to the team. There's a really cool section of the movie involving a submerged submarine. That part is the clear highlight of the movie. There's also a good airplane action scene.

That said - I think the movie's flaws outweigh its upsides. Most of all, this film is bloated, at near 3 hours long. The film drags to the point where the ending comes like a relief. In addition, the plot details involving the Entity and such are too dry and somewhat difficult to follow. Having an unseen program or virus called Entity as the villain also fails to click. The movie, in the opening, shows a montage of clips from the prior Mission Impossible films, and I thought this montage was cool - I just wish it ended here. Instead, the movie contains many more clips / flashbacks to the prior films at various points, which I found corny. I got a sense of cheap reliance on nostaglia; the repeated flashbacks reminded me too much of Gladiator 2 in that respect. Angela Bassett is terrible as the United States president. The movie at times seems to have a disjointed, episodic feeling, jumping from place to place at random spots. There is a surplus of characters in this film, a flaw that likely connects to the movie's bloated run-time. Lastly - I hated the nonstop background music that seemingly occurs from start to end.

Again - a disappointment

5.0/10.

I left the theaters a few hours ago. I loved it

I get some of the criticisms that people may find: the movie isn't original; there are numerous cliches from start to end. Just from the previews, you can get a sense of how most of the plot will go. The movie is too sappy/sentimental at times. Though I am religious myself, I actually think the faith-based messaging in this film feels tacked-on, as if the film just had to get those religious references in the movie to win a sponsor or producer's support.

All that said - this is still a fine movie: most of all, Neal McDonough gives an A+ performance as an aged rodeo legend, striving for one last win to help his hospitalized grandson. McDonough oozes charisma and likability here; you just can't help but get behind his character in this movie. I also love the western attires and the rodeo scenes. The bull-riding scenes are credible and intense. The buddy-buddy moments between Neal McDonough and his old rodeo partner Mykelti Williamson are charming. I loved seeing Christopher McDonald on the big screen too. Though a lot of the movie is predictable, the ending still hits the right spot emotionally; and the near 2-hour runtime breezes by

9.5/10.