Movie Review: Darkest Hour (2017)

Hello All,

We are beginning to catch up folks. This one actually had not only my attention, but my dad’s attention as well so I’m glad I was able to get this one done. Not much to say for the intro, so let’s just jump in shall we?

Plot Summary - During the invasions of Belgium and The netherlands in 1940, Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) is appointed to be the new prime minister, and finds himself facing his greatest challenge: the potential invasion of England.

Pros - The cinematography is the thing about this film I simply adore the most, it has a tremendous amount of just spectacular shots and the film to me at least is worth it for that alone. Gary is fantastic as churchill, getting even the smallest of details of the man down quite well. The pacing is marvelous, and the writing is quite spot on. Also, anything that gives Lily James a chance to shine is good in my book.

Cons - If you’re looking for a more biographical story of the man, this is not the film for you. If historical dramas aren’t your forte this won’t do much for you either.

Final Score - 10/10

I’m a bit of a history buff myself, and I do believe in the importance of remembering our history. Films like this are important, so if you have any remote interest in seeing it please do.

Next: The Shape of Water - That’s going to be in at least 2 -3 days from time of writing, and I’m working on when I can see the other three films left besides it.

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Movie Review: Downsizing (2017)

Hello All,


Gonna be a quick one, got a pounding headache. Let’s try and figure out Matt Damon’s career together shall we?

Plot Summary - Paul Safranek (Matt Damon) and his wife decide to downsize to five inches to height, he begins to reassess his life and tries to gain a new perspective.

Plot - The cast is great, and strangely diverse with a tremendous number of small cameos. The story goes in a much different direction than expected, and has kind of a great core idea. It also does a great job of going lightly on the short jokes, mostly aiming for neat visuals over cheap humour.

Cons - It’s a touch on the lengthy side, and the ending is much more ambiguous than probably need be. There’s also a dramatic underuse of Christoph Waltz, but that seems to be hollywood’s forte lately.

Final Score - 8/10

Not too light and fluffy, if long and too ambiguous. Good for a an afternoon.

Next: Darkest Hour - Shape of Water has been bumped. Local showtimes haven't been posted yet so I can’t quite get confirmation, but I’m aiming for a Jan. 3rd to 7th post date for the year end reviews.

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Movie Review: Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle (2017)

Hello All,

So right now I’m sitting at six more movies that are coming out I still have to see. There’s maybe two more I can add on, but that’s entirely a time constraint thing. Today’s offering is another one of those twenty year later sequels that are always, well, a mixed bag. But this one has The Rock, and Kevin Hart, and Jack Black, and Karen Gillan, how can that go wrong? Well, let’s find out together shall we?

Plot Summary - When four kids are stuck cleaning the basement in detention, they stumble across an old video game console with the game only known, as Jumanji. When they become trapped inside the game, they must band together, overcome their fears, and free themselves from the game.

Pros - The casting is spot on for the characters in the film, even if the characters can be a bit too on the nose in the personality types they’re trying to imitate. The action scenes are fun, and the story is well told and does try to engage in actual emotion and character development.

Cons - The actual story itself is super familiar. If you’ve seen any coming of age adventure type film, you already know a lot of the story beats. While Jumanji does try to put it’s own spin on some of them, they still feel for the most part the same.

Final Score - 7/10

Definitely worth a look, it’s serviceable if under ambitious.

Next: So, these are the next six films

1. Darkest Hour
2. The Greatest Showman
3. The Shape of Water
4. Downsizing
5. All the Money in the World
6. Molly’s Game

I don’t really know what order yet, Christmas season always gets kind of busy for movie reviewers, so I’m mostly just finding them when I have the time.


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Double Movie Review: Ferdinand (2017) & Wonder Wheel (2017)

Hello All,

So the formatting is still an ongoing issue that seems to be affecting more people than just me. So apologies if it still looks weird, it could be like this for a while. Moving on, we’re doing a double today of films that on the surface don’t seem to have a lot going on in them. While that’s never exclusively a bad thing (some films do well with the less is more philosophy), how does it fair when it comes to these two? Let’s find out together shall we?

Ferdinand Review

Plot Summary - Ferdinand (John Cena) is a flower loving bull who refuses to fight. When he is stung by a bee and goes on a rampage however, he ends up being taken far from home, and is forced to face the thing he hates to do the most.

Pros - Cena as Ferdinand is the best thing about the movie. He makes the character just so damn likable and does a good job with the material being given to him. Kate McKinnon is a close second as his goat friend with her usually funny self, and the film is actually quite nice in the animation style as well.

Cons - There’s one particularly annoying scene that drags on for far too long, and is clearly the best example of padding in a film I have seen in some time. No jokes, that one scene is so tremendously annoying I wrote off three points based on that alone. Besides that, the films other biggest problem is a tremendous lack of character development for pretty much any character in the movie. Development is at best minimal and at worst people change on a whim. There’s also too many goddamn side characters, and the usual host of adult jokes that kids will never understand scattered throughout.

Final Score - 6/10

Cena’s likability carries this film above mediocrity. Otherwise parents, your kids will like it, it’s a maybe for you.

Wonder Wheel Review

Plot Summary - Ginny (Kate Winslet) is unhappily married to a carousel worker, and is having an affair with the local lifeguard. When her husband’s estranged daughter re-enters their lives and sets her eyes on the lifeguard, Ginny’s world begins to unravel.

Pros - The cast is fine, the lifeguard character is the most likable one, and it’s a really pretty film to watch.

Cons - The rest of the characters are extremely unlikable, the dialogue is repetitive and nerve grinding, and the film just never seems to do much of anything. Very few problems are resolved, and it ends on the worst kind of ambiguous ending.

Final Score - 2/10

I can’t really recommend this film to anyone except Woody Allen completionists.

Next: Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle - Before that though, we may do the first episode of the new review series. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, just keep an eye out for an upcoming Starship Troopers review, that will explain everything.



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(Spoiler Free) Movie Review: Star Wars The Last Jedi (2017)

Hello All,

Sorry this is late, I would’ve put this up last night but I got sidelined with a slight injury and couldn't type. But here we are, arguably one of the bigger films this year. So, let’s not dawdle, how good is Star Wars? Let’s find out shall we?

Plot Summary - With the first order on their tail, the rebellion must flee their base and seek out help. Meanwhile, Rey (Daisy Ridley) must try and convince Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to return to assist them.

Pros - It’s great to see Hamill back in action, and the way he interacts with Ridley makes it truly feel like a jedi style relationship. Rey’s story is also the best part of the movie, as it deals with a lot of the mystery as to what happened with Luke and Kylo Ren. The rest of the cast is great as well, the action scenes are up to their usual Star Wars standard, and it does help that they are adding more humour and other elements to it that you typically don’t see in Star Wars, and I think most of them actually work quite well.

Cons - The second story line, Finn’s, a lot weaker. By significant margins. Without spoiling it, the main conflict is slow moving while involving a detour that more or less feels like padding. There’s a twist that feels unmotivated, yet it has huge consequences in the movie and that’s honestly the most bizarre part. To me, it feels like it more undermines the plot than anything else and that’s weird to see in a Star Wars Film.

Final Score - 8/10

I’m shocked too, but also apparently in the minority. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a pretty good film and I recommend seeing it. I like the new things they’re doing, the twists in the film (for the most part), and I’m dying to see how this all ends. I think in trying to update how these movies play out, some things got lost in translation. Nevertheless, go see this movie.

Next: Ferdinand - Make your own John Cena joke. This might be part of a double review, we’ll see what happens.


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Movie Review: The Breadwinner (2017)

Hello All,


So something in my usual process of writing these has gone screwy, so if the format looks a bit different I can assure you it’s intentional and it’s being done simply so I can keep putting these out. So with that being said, let’s talk about the breadwinner shall we?


Plot Summary - When her father is imprisoned by members of the taliban, 11 year old Parvana (Saara Chaudry) must disguise herself as a boy in order to support her family and free her father.


Pros - The animation is the standout achievement of the film. Throughout the film there are tales told and they also have different animations equally as good as the main style. The voice cast is nice and varied, and the film manages to pack a lot of story into 93 minutes.


Cons - The jumping around of story points might annoy some, and the timeframe and ending are not really defined in the film. So if that kind of stuff annoys you this probably won’t change your mind. I’m also not sure how fans of the book might take it, as I think they changed a few things for the movie.


Final Score - 8/10


A good little flick that shines some refreshing light on a part of the world in constant disarray.


Next: Star Wars The Last Jedi - Don’t know when, but it is the big one right now.


So, since I didn’t get to do this in the last review, I’ll reveal this now. If you go to this page here (http://ryanmovieblogokay.blogspot.ca/p/for-collection-film-list.html) You will see a list of films, each one numbered.


That is a list of films that I own on DVD, but I have never actually seen. Now why would I do that? Because I am a film collector, and I like taking chances on movies on DVD that I’ve never seen.


So why show you the list? Because that list (which I will update as movies are added and removed) will be the basis of the new review series: For the Collection.


The idea being basically that it’s a chance for me to review movies I might not otherwise see, and it adds some variety to the blog reviews. I recently took two films off that list. They are…


Wet Hot American Summer (2001) - 8/10


And


The Thing (1982) - 10/10


Now obviously the other reviews will be full reviews, but I wanted to mark these two specifically as an example of what to expect. So what will be the first film from this list?

Let’s choose a number between 1 and 78.


72. Starship Troopers


Hmm, I’ve heard mixed things. Well, we’ll just have to wait and see, so stay tuned.


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Suggestion Box Review: Kelly's Heroes (1970)

Hello All,

So if things looks different today, blogger decided to have a stroke and my formatting is shitting the bed. Instead of my usual copy and paste method from google docs I'm typing directly into blogger in hopes that this error is temporary and that it'll somehow fix itself. If you're reading this, it means blogger itself isn't the problem is something else. I'm tired, I've already lost an hour to this, let's just go shall we?

Plot Summary - Private Kelly (Clint Eastwood) leads a colourful gang of soldiers through 30 miles of enemy territory in order to rob a bank full of Nazi gold.

Pros - The cast is great, and it's basically a standard war comedy with a better attention to setting detail than most.

Cons - Some of the jokes don't quite land and the film is a touch long at over two hours.

Final Score - 8/10

Great for war comedy fans, might not be for everyone.

Next: Star Wars The Last Jedi - Don't know when, might do something else in between, new series announcement coming soon.

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Movie Review: The Disaster Artist (2017)

Hello All,

    I’ve been stoked for this movie since they announced it, and it’s all the same to you guys I just want to jump right in, shall we?

Plot Summary - Based on the memoir of the same name, the film follows Greg Sestero (Dave Franco) as he befriends Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) and the ii’s journey to making one of the worst films of all time.

Pros - To be completely honest, I got the film I wanted, and more. This is clearly a passion project for the Franco’s and crew and it’s really shows across the screen. You got amazing actors and comedians in various big and small roles and each one is fairly creative and unique. The Franco brothers are great in their respective roles, and you can tell the cast is having a blast while doing this.The amount of attention to detail regarding the story (albeit from a few changes for story purposes) is fantastic, and make sure you stay through the credits as well for a truly unique moment. For fans of the room, it’s the story you wanted to see, and for everyone else, there is still a pretty solid chasing your dreams story here to be found. The film basically succeeds at being a simple (albeit strange) story, told well.

Cons - If you don’t like the room at all this might not do much for you. This is also a movie about making a movie for the most part, so if that bores you again this won’t do much.

Final Score - 10/10

It’s a great movie, as like I said, I basically got what I wanted, and for that alone it gets a 10 from me.

Next: Kelly’s Heroes (1970)- That should most likely be the next review, and yes it is a suggestion box review, but it’ll also be the review where I’ll reveal the next series of reviews.

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The Complete Series: Gamera: The Super Monster (1980)

Hello All,

    So today is a day I’ve been waiting for since I began this series, the last Gamera movie. Much like how there was a big gap between this review and the last gamera review, the same can be said for the dates of the last two movies. See, the company that made the first seven films (Daiei) went bankrupt after the seventh film. When the company was bought out, the new management wanted to make another one to fulfill a contractual obligation. Deciding to mostly make it out of stock footage, they not only used clips of the previous films, they also threw in clips from Space Battleship Yamato, and Galaxy Express 999, as well as a few new scenes of Gamera flying. The resulting film looked so bad during production, the two people who usually wrote and directed the Gamera movies decided then and there to kill Gamera off to end the series once and for all.

     

So how bad is this film truly? Let’s find out together shall we?

Plot Summary - When the evil alien Zanon arrives to enslave the earth, Gamera must team up with a trio of space women in order to save the world.

Pros - At least the clips from the previous movies consist of some of the better fights.

Cons - Yeah this film is dull as shit. It does have a plot and structure, but all the characters are dull and underdeveloped. There’s nothing new here for Gamera fans, and the clips from the other shows tend to more confuse the narrative than aid it.

Final Score - 0/10

The worst of the series by far, stop at seven and you have admittedly a mixed series with some strong standouts.

Next: The Disaster Artist - Aiming for Sunday now on this one.

So since I have no new series to complete, I want to do something a little different for the next series of reviews. So sometime after Disaster Artist, the next suggestion box review will go up (Kelly’s Heroes 1970) and then the new series will be good to go.

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Movie Review: Thelma (2017)

Hello All,

    So this one is a bit different for me. I don’t really watch a lot of Norwegian films, the only one I really know is Troll Hunter, which I think I own a copy of come to think of it. Getting back to the point, since I really don’t know much about films from Norway, I thought this would be a great opportunity to expand my knowledge a little bit and give this a watch. So how did the film turn out? Let’s find out together shall we?

Plot Summary - Thelma (Eili Harboe) is a young, religious, woman studying in Oslo. When she meets another young woman and begins to fall in love, she finds that her feelings begin to trigger inexplicable, and terrifying powers.

Pros - The thing that stands out to me the most is the atmosphere of the film. It manages to balance being both a supernatural horror film, while also managing to tell a very simple and sweet love story as well. The main focus of the film is the struggle between Thelma’s feelings and beliefs, and Harboe does a great job balancing these two things perfectly in a way that doesn’t really try to vilify either one which is always welcome.

Cons -  The film has a change in setting in one point, which also brings with it a sort of villain for the movie, and while the rest of the film does kind of hint at it, it’s hard to really see this person like this because he doesn’t really stand out as such. In this case it feels more like a disconnect between the idea and it’s interpretation.

Final Score - 9/10

It’s a neat little film and a definite watch for foreign film fans.

Next: The Disaster Artist - It’s here, it’s finally here, and I won’t be able to watch until next monday at the time of writing this.

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Double Movie Review: Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017) & Coco (2017)

Hello All,

    My weekend kind of got away from me there, and for that I apologize. A movie blog can be hard when you also have to work most of the time, and try to survive, all while not going crazy. So in order to avoid going down this sad line of thinking let’s review some movies shall we?

Roman J. Israel, Esq. Review

Plot Summary - Following the personal journey of lawyer and activist Roman J. Israel, Esq. (Denzel Washington) as he faces challenges that begin to have him doubt his beliefs.

Pros - The film, if nothing else, is an amazing example of a good character study. Denzel does a good job of bringing roman to life and showing his struggles throughout the film.

Cons - Despite all that though, the film lacks any real semblance of a plot. Sure there are things that happen, but sometimes they barely involve Roman. While not all films need to have explosions, guns, or action, all films do need to have a plot.

Final Score - 6/10

Not a bad film, and certainly an enjoyable performance, but nothing else here to entice you if haven’t seen it already.

Coco Review

But first, all I’m going to say about Olaf’s Frozen Adventure is this….why the fuck is it 22 minutes long? Cut the music entirely and the pointless padding, it would’ve been a dumb little short that wouldn’t have had this much commotion made over it. 2/10 because I chuckled a couple of times.

Plot Summary - Miguel Rivera (Anthony Gonzalez) is a 12 year old aspiring musician who yearns to be like his hero. His family despises music however, after Miguel’s great great grandfather left to become one and never returned. Spurned by this, Miguel attempts to steal a famous guitar, only to wind up in the land of the dead, and must turn to his family there in order to return home.

Pros - I like a vast majority of the things in this movie. The cast is great, the characters feel like real people and a real family unit. The land of the dead visuals are cool, and the attention of detail to the mexican culture and traditions is fantastic to see. Even the musical numbers, as few as they are, are done in spanish and are really good.

Cons - You can spot a few key twists very quickly if you know anything about disney formulas, which admittedly losses a small amount of impact upon revealing them.

Final Score - 9/10

Overall, I’d still say this is one of the better films out right now, so go give it a look.

Next: Thelma - It’s a supernatural type film from Norway. Looks like fun. I also want to finish the Gamera series soon, I got a new thing to take it’s place so yeah.

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Suggestion Box Review: Perfect (1985)

Hello All,

    So, I’m basically writing this as the movie is playing. I can’t remember if it’s the second or third music montage, but it’s the gym photo shoot montage for anyone who's seen the movie. Knowing pretty much where the rest of this is going, I’m writing this during the movie to save some time. To be fair, I’m only posting it once the movie is over. I’ll be honest, but my hopes are buried at this point. So let’s get through this shall we?

Plot Summary - While chasing a bigger story, reporter Adam Lawrence (John Travolta) decides to write a second story about health clubs being the single’s bars of the 80’s, and begins to date aerobics instructor Jessie Wilson (Jamie Lee Curtis.)

Pros - If you’re a fan of everything 80’s this movie is for you.

Cons - This movie is relentlessly dull. It’s fluffy, nonsense padding, stretching itself to just under two hours of my life I’m never getting back. The characters are idiots, making the same poor choices over and over, and we’re just supposed to sit there and think it’s funny, charming, or romantic, when it’s so painfully fails at being any of them?

Final Score - 1/10

If you can tolerate the worst of the 80’s self indulgence, then go right ahead. I never want to watch this piece of shit again.

Next: Coco & Roman J. Israel Esq, - Yeah I’m playing catch up a bit, mostly because here will be a lot coming out in the next few weeks.

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Double Movie Review: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) & My Friend Dahmer (2017)

Hello All,

    Sorry for the lengthy gap, I’ve been dealing with a lot lately. I’m going to keep this short because of that. So let’s get to it shall we?

Three Billboards Review

Plot Summary - Seven months after her daughter’s murder, Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) puts up three billboards asking why it hasn’t been solved, stirring up the emotions of the small town in the process.

Pros - The cast is phenomenal, as they bring they very well written characters to life. The story is kept interesting, and the dark humour is mostly well timed and executed.

Cons - It is a very non traditional movie, but the thing is worth it’s weight in gold because of that.

Final Score - 10/10

Probably one of the better films I’ve seen this year. Go see it, if you can.

My friend Dahmer review

Plot Summary - Following the story of Jeffrey Dahmer (Ross Lynch) through the eyes of his high school friend known as Derf (Alex Rolff).

Pros -     Lynch basically owns this movie, as he brings a very manic yet sympathetic version of dahmer to the big screen. The story plays out well for the most part, and it’s a tense film to sit through.

Cons - Most of the side characters are forgettable, and the film feels like it drags on a touch too long.

Final Score - 8/10

It’s a fascinating watch, but it’s not for everyone.

Next: Perfect - I’m going to try and commit to the new thursday night idea.

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