Tag: 10s

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: a Visual Delight

The review:

(L to R) Scott Pilgrim (MICHAEL CERA), Ramona Flowers (MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD), Young Neil (JOHNNY SIMMONS), Knives Chau (ELLEN WONG), Kim Pine (ALISON PILL) and Stephen Stills (MARK WEBBER) in the amazing story of one romantic slacker’s quest to power up with love: the action-comedy Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Not having got enough of some of the Avengers, I re-watched Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World to see Brie Larson and Chris Evans before they were Captains Marvel and America and also because I fell asleep when I watched this in 2010.* While I still did drift off in a few places, I loved the visual styling of this movie and I think what Edgar Wright does well is cast leads whose quirks let them really lean in to their performances.** The quick cuts and fast pace are great, and it’s fun to see so many actors who have gone on to other great roles.

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

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More sentences:

*It was the movie that taught me that I can no longer watch movies that start at 10 p.m.
**This movie capitalizes on all the Michael Cera things, and Wright later does the same with Ansel Elgort in Baby Driver.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World movie review 3SMReviews

Avengers: Endgame Has All the Feels

Avengers: Endgame movie review 3SMReviews

The review:

There are 21 reasons I happily sat through a three-hour finale of Anthony and Joe Russo’s Avengers: Endgame; at this point, this endeavor is more of a new-generation serial* than a movie. As my movie-going companion pointed out, this is almost like three separate movies: a drama, a heist, and then an action movie. I loved so much about this movie: the callbacks to the previous films; the assembly of so many characters I know and love;** the amount of gravitas; the humor; and the way everything wrapped up.

The verdict:

Recommended, assuming you’ve seen the majority of the 21 previous movies. If not, might I recommend you begin with 2008’s Iron Man?

Cost: $10.50
Where watched: Baghdad Theater with a crowd who clapped multiple times.

Additional sentences:

*You know like those short films that used to be before the main picture way before my time? That’s what this is, a serial told over a decade and in much bigger chunks.
**That said Marvel, in the future, I’d prefer more movies with female superheroes in starring roles,*** rather than just gathering them together at a(n admittedly tear-inducing) specific point in a big battle.
***I feel cheated out of Black Widow’s full story.

Avengers: Endgame movie review 3SMReviews

My Cousin Rachel: See it With a Friend

My Cousin Rachel movie review 3SMReviews.com

The review:

It’s probably best to watch Roger Mitchell’s My Cousin Rachel with a companion as there is much to discuss afterward and you might find yourself stuck with your own back and forth as to what you think the situation was. The indomitable Rachel Weisz plays the titular Rachel, and Sam Clafin* is the man who is not so sure about his cousin’s motives. Daphne Du Maurier knew how to write a shifting story, and there is much to puzzle out, plus usual historical drama perks of costumes, and furniture and life with servants.

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: free from Multnomah County Library
Where watched: at home

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Additional sentences:

*With English accent, because I know that some people are fans of that

My Cousin Rachel movie review 3SMReviews.com

Shazam! is Super!

Shazam! movie review 3SMReviews.com

The review:

I think the one-two punch of David F. Sandberg’s Shazam! is Asher Angel’s depiction of an abandoned kid searching for his mother plus Zachary Levi’s grown-man youthful exuberance. Add in Jack Dylan Grazer as the guy who’s super excited to suddenly be friends with a superhero and you have a sweet-natured comedy with more than the usual amount of feels.* While some plot points fall apart upon reflection, it’s an enjoyable and does not feel overly long 132 minutes.

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: $8.00
Where watched: St. Johns Twin Cinema with Matt (who rarely watches films from the DCEU, but who also enjoyed it.)

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Further sentences:

*Which is not to say that some Red Shirts (a.k.a. minor characters) don’t die in some ways that might be overly gruesome and/or scary to the under 13 set.

Shazam! movie review 3SMReviews.com

Someone Great: Not So Great.

Or: There’s a Difference Between a Romantic Comedy and a Comedy

(That difference, as you might guess, is the presence of romance.)

Someone Great movie review

The review:

Jennifer Kaytin Robinson has crafted a nice duel portrait of (1)female friendship and (2)the end of a relationship, and there are things to like about Someone Great.* But it doesn’t really have a lot going for it, and it pretty easily slid into that category of movie I recommend for people to watch when they have the flu. There were way too many flashback—all more or less framed in the same way—and I think the forgettable title name** sets the stage for the forgettable nature of the movie.***

The verdict:

Skip. Unless perhaps you have the flu?

Cost: Netflix monthly charge ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*The easy friendship between Gina Rodriguez, DeWanda Wise, and Brittany Snow, the montage of getting ready to go out, the zany last day scenario.
**True story: I made all the visuals for this post using the name Someone Like You, which is a 2001 Ashley Judd comedy that I found forgettable, but which is based on a book called Animal Husbandry which is a MUCH better title and which I quite liked.
**It’s another one of those movies called “romantic comedies” but which is not actually a romantic comedy, but a comedic female friendship movie. Ibiza (also a Netflix film) was similar, except it did have some romance. This was all breakup, no romance. I’m all for comedic female friendship movies. But don’t call them romantic comedies.

Someone Great movie review

Vox Lux: Very Displeasing

Vox Lux movie review 3SMReviews.com

The review:

I’d seen a preview for Brady Corbet’s Vox Lux and I thought I knew what it was about, so I was utterly confused when the movie opened with a brutal school shooting* and the main character was not Natalie Portman, but Raffey Cassidy. It’s a story told in two parts, the first as 13-year-old Celeste is on the precipice of fame, the second as 31-year-old Celeste is preparing for an important hometown concert. I can see Natalie Portman giving it her all,** but it comes off as scenery-chewing, plus the pacing is off and the movie ends with an endless concert performance that adds nothing.***

The verdict:

Skip unless you are super into Natalie Portman, or are looking for reasons you don’t want to be famous.

Cost: $5.99 (a lot for a not-good movie) via Google Play
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*And also, some end credits that ran backwards. They were very confusingly art-y and subtracted more than they added to the film.
**Raffy Cassidy is also quite good. Plus Willem Dafoe was the narrator and that worked.
***It’s great those backup dancers got some work, I guess, but after about five minutes, it’s like “I get it, I get it, move on.” Unfortunately, there is no resolution. Those end credits return. But rolling in the normal direction.

Vox Lux movie review 3SMReviews.com

The Way He Looks: Worth Looking At

3SMReviews: The Way He Looks

The review:

For people willing to read subtitles, Daniel Ribeiro’s The Way He Looks is a teen romance treat.* Leonardo and Giovana are best friends and somewhat outcasts whose friendship is interrupted by Gabriel, an attractive new student. There’s great stuff in the shifting friendship department, the first love department, and the department of Other Teenagers Can be Really Mean.**

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: Free via Kanopy, the Multnomah County Library’s streaming service
Where watched: at home

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Further sentences:

*It’s one of those movies I spent a lot of time smiling through
**I did not smile through these parts.

3SMReviews: The Way He Looks

The Perfect Date: Grating, Not Great

3SMReviews: The Perfect Date

The review:

A few years ago, I re-watched She’s All That and found that a movie that I had enjoyed on first viewing was not very good.* The Perfect Date is about at the level of She’s All That, but minus an awesome mid-movie dance scene and an enjoyable first time viewing experience. Noah Centineo isn’t very good at his craft right now,** and there wasn’t much else to recommend.

The verdict:

Skip, unless you have a thing for this guy. In which case you should also watch To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Sierra Burgess is a Big Fat Loser.

Cost: Netflix Monthly Fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

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Further sentences:

*Acting: not very good. Funny parts: not as many as I remembered. Character development: uneven
**For some reason he was fine in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and bugged the crap out of me in this movie.

3SMReviews: The Perfect Date

It Had to be You: A Rom-com About Not Wanting to Get Married

It Had to Be You movie review

The review:

As a person in a long-term relationship who does not want to be married, I was interested in Sasha Gordon’s It Had to Be You, a romantic comedy about a woman who freaks out when her boyfriend proposes. Cristin Miloti is laugh-out-loud funny in parts of this film and there’s a lot of sadness, what with all the trying to figure out what to do with a relationship where two people want different things. I could feel the movie hitting its beats* and I still found that watching it was a good way to spend my Sunday evening time.

The verdict: Good

Cost: free via Kanopy, the Multnomah County Library‘s streaming service
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Which isn’t great, but is much better than the movie not hitting its beats and me wondering when this endless film will be over.

Unicorn Store: Brie Larson is a steely candy confection

The review:

Unicorn Store is Brie Larson’s directorial debut, and much like Chris Evans’ directorial debut, it’s fine way to pass the time. Larson walks the line between steely and fantastical and Samuel L. Jackson looks like he is having a lot of fun. It’s also required viewing for people who are fans of whimsical costuming as it is packed full of candy-colored couture.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Netflix monthly rental fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching*:

  • Other Avengers with directorial debuts**:
    • Before We Go (Metascore 31, Chris Evans)
    • Sympathy for Deliciousness (Metascore 44, Mark Ruffalo)
    • Miles Ahead (Metascore 64, Don Cheadle)
    • Shelter (Metascore 43, Paul Bettany)
    • Of note: the Metascore for The Unicorn store is 45.

The caveats:

*Note that I can only vouch for the film I’ve watched. Report back to me if you have something to stay about the others.
**That would make a fun bar trivia question. Which of the Avengers have directed movies? Of course, you would have to define who the Avengers are.

Unicorn Store quote