Double Movie Review: The Big Sick (2017) & The Little Hours (2017)

Hello All,

Sorry this is late, I got home way later than expected the previous day. That being said, today’s topic is: Adaptations, which both of these films are. The Big Sick is an adaptation of a true life story, and The Little Hours is a loose adaptation of parts of The Decameron. Both are also comedies, so this runs even deeper than that. Alright enough stalling let’s get to it shall we?

The Big Sick Review

Plot Summary - The film follows Kumail (Kumail Nanjiani), a Pakistani comedian who begins dating a caucasian girl named Emily Gardner (Zoe Kazan.) When she finds out he is supposed to be entering an arranged marriage however, she breaks up with him. After she falls ill and is placed in a coma, Kumail finds himself drawn back to her, and in the process bonds with Emily’s parents Beth (Holly Hunter) and Terry (Ray Romano.)

Pros - Overall, this is probably going to be the single most honest film I will see all year, and there’s something amazingly refreshing about that. The cast is phenomenal, the characters are well written, the story flows smoothly and manages to make every element of the story feel important as well. The most fantastic thing it does though is avoiding certain romcom pitfalls that usually bring these types of films down with a thunderous crash.

Cons - If you hate romcoms, this one might change your mind, but at the same time I would say approach with caution just incase.

Final Score - 10/10

I’m sorry I waited so long for this one. If you’re somehow behind me on seeing this, see it soon.

The Little Hours Review

Plot Summary - In the 14h century, a young servant named Massetto (Dave Franco) finds himself fleeing from an angry lord. When he takes refuge in a convent full of nuns, and their head priest thinking at first that his problems are over, he instead realizes that at this convent, problems are the only thing they have.

Pros - The cast are hilarious, bringing in the likes of Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie, and John C. Reilly to name a few. The setting is interesting and they make quite good use of it in terms of story aspects and hilarity.

Cons - If you’re not a fan of more absurdist kinds of humour, then this will fall flat on you. Also, if you take your religion seriously and are thinking about seeing this, don’t. Seriously.

Final Score - 8/10

It’s a bizarre film, but if that’s what you like you’ll do well with this one.

Next: The Emoji Movie - If any of you reading this truly love me, or even tolerate me, you’ll shoot me before this can happen. If you hate me, well then consider this your chance….please?

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Want to read more? Click Below for my last review. What is it of? Something a bit more ex.

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Until next time, I’ll see you folks at the movies.

Movie Review: Atomic Blonde (2017)

Hello All,

    Before we begin today, I’m going to answer the question that I’m sure a lot of people are going to be asking: How is it compared to John Wick? Answer: They’re from two different (if similar) genres, so it’s a bit of a biased question going in. In this case, with Atomic Blonde being a spy movie, obviously it’s going to be smarter with it’s story, compared to John Wick who went on a killing spree because of a dog and a car. Not to knock on either genre or film, I just wanted to make a point about comparing genres. That said, let’s get to it shall we?

Plot Summary - Set in the waning days of the Cold War, Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) is an MI6 agent sent into Berlin to find out who killed a fellow agent, but falls into a deeper web of conspiracy and betrayal, and has to find her way out.

Pros - The cast is fantastic in their roles, and it’s especially great to see Theron back in the action genre after a long hiatus in it. The action, for lack of a better way to describe, is fucking kick ass, and possibly the best aspect of the movie overall.

Cons - The plot does drag a bit for roughly the first third to half of the film, and if you pay enough attention you can probably figure out the twist of the film fairly quickly.

Final Score - 9/10

If the beginning of the film was as tight as the end, this would’ve definitely been a 10. Right now though, it’s definitely a contender for the honourable mentions list.

Next: The Big Sick & The Little Hours - Because it’s been long enough dammit, and a good opportunity to get in a double review. And in case is wondering, here is the schedule for this week (hopefully).

Saturday: The Big Sick/The Little Hours

Monday: The Emoji Movie (Kill Me.)

Tuesday: Girls Trip

So there you have it. I also want to get back into the Suggestion Box reviews soon, so keep an eye out for those.

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Want to read more? Click Below for my last review. What is it of? Another film that takes place during a war.

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Until next time, I’ll see you folks at the movies.

Movie Review: Dunkirk (2017)

Hello All,

    Sorry this is late, I’ve just been busy, and I’m also rather exhausted, so let’s get straight to this shall we?

Plot Summary - Told from three overlapping points of view, the film follows the true events of the evacuation of Dunkirk during the second world war.

Pros - The film is quite brilliant in capturing the intensity of the situation. Rather than having you focus on particular people, it prefers more to throw you in head first into the battle, and then subject you the multiple stories going on. The actors we do see the most do very well with their roles, managing to get in as much as they can in in each segment they have.

Cons - This section is going to be a bit tricky to explain, especially without trying to spoil it, but here goes. The way the film is structured, it took me a little longer than it should have for me to follow the story properly, as it does a lot of jumping around between parts. Once it clicks in though, it does help the already great film become even better. If non-linear structures aren’t for you though, you definitely won’t like Dunkirk.

Final Score - 9/10

If it wasn’t for the rough patch in the beginning, it would’ve been a 10, but for now I still say check it out, especially knowing what you know now (Hopefully.)

Next: The Big Sick - I am determined to see this if it fucking kills me. Hopefully Monday, maybe Tuesday depending on a key thing.

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Want to read more? Click Below for my last review. What is it of? Something a bit more out of this world.

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Movie Review: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

Hello All,

    Before I begin today, want to make a quick shout out to my friend and colleague Warren for giving me these tickets. I know he doesn’t read the blog, but I thought you lovely people might like to know who to thank for this.

    Man I’ve been waiting a while for this one, when the trailer dropped roughly 8 or 9 months ago, I was excited. A movie adaptation of one of the earliest sci fi graphic novels that massively influenced the genre as we know it today, how could you possibly go wrong? So did it? Let’s find out together shall we?

Plot Summary - Major Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Sergeant Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are agents of the united human federation, which runs Alpha aka The City of a Thousand Planets. When a threat to Alpha forces Valerian and Laureline to come, they soon find themselves in a tangled web, as they learn that it might be more than just Alpha on the line.

Pros - Dane and Cara bounce off of each other wonderfully as Valerian and Laureline. Both characters are great individually, but you can definitely see where they work better together throughout the film. The plot overall is really imaginative as well, as it begins as sci fi action, then slips more comfortably into the heart of the story which is a mystery. The visuals are are jaw dropping, as there are no redundancies in character and set designs, which is always great to see in a sci fi film.

Cons - That being said about the visuals, you can clearly see which elements later sci fi films were influenced by, so don’t be surprised if you see very familiar looking designs occasionally. At 2h 16m the plot, while never boring, does veer off a lot into side steps some more relevant to the story than others. You can also kind of figure out a good chunk of the mystery early if you pay close attention, but this might have been intentional so keep that in mind.

Final Score - 8/10

While definitely flawed, it’s interesting how the film manages to work rather better than expected despite them. If you think you won’t get too hung up on it’s weaknesses, then it’s worth your time.

Next: Dunkirk - I will definitely try and catch up to big sick as well, and we might try for girls trip later on, and maybe a few surprises in between, but it’s play by ear at the moment.

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Want to read more? Click Below for my last review. What is it of? Two reviews for the price of one. I say check it out, but what do I know?

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Until next time, I’ll see you folks at the movies.

Double Movie Review: The Beguiled (2017) & War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

Hello All,

    Sorry these are late. This might sound like a lame excuse, but basically even a month later I’m still unpacking. The day of writing this actually I just put my drumkit back together for the first time in almost seven years. So I’ve been a bit preoccupied. Now that I’m here though, let's do this thing shall we?

The Beguiled Review

Plot Summary - Set during the civil war, Union soldier John McBurney (Colin Farrell) finds himself rescued and taken to a girls boarding school after being wounded in battle. His presence there however, begins to stir trouble amongst the older women and girls of the school, as they soon begin to see that McBurney is not quite as he appears to be.

Pros - The casting is solid, especially for the younger students. The story is tense and dramatic, and also manages to have it’s fair share of nicer moments also. Having the movie set from the point of view of the women is a refreshing touch as well, especially since the original (which I have not seen yet) has it from the point of McBurney in the first one.

Cons - It can feel a bit slow at times, especially since this is a period drama. The ending can also be considered a touch anticlimactic as well so if you’re not a fan I’d say don’t bother.

Final Score - 7/10

It’s a good film, admittedly I’m more curious the see the original before I see this one again though.

War for the Planet of the Apes Review

Plot Summary - Caesar’s (Andy Serkis) clan has spent two years fighting a military unit known as Alpha Omega. After another outpost is attacked by humans, he decides to have his clan relocate, but stays behind to go after the unit’s leader known only as the Colonel (Woody Harrelson).

Pros - This is basically Serkis’s and Harrelson’s movie. The two have tremendous chemistry together, and it’s fantastic to see Harrelson play against type. The story is a lot more personal this time around, in the sense that it’s more about Caesar and his own conflict, instead of him and his fellow apes. There’s some great action scenes, and the scenery of the film is just awe inspiring at times.

Cons - The film has some structural problems story wise, from what I think is mostly trying to take a plot that may have come up a bit short time wise and stretching it out longer. It especially shows in the smaller of the two subplots, which is mostly just used as background noise for the main plot.

Final Score - 8/10

While it’s still a definite must see, I just don’t think it’s the best of this trilogy. I would love to see if they continue after this one, but it’s also not a bad note to go out on if they don’t.

Next: The Big Sick - Aiming for Sunday on this one. I could’ve seen it earlier, but I saw Baby Driver instead. I regret nothing.

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Want to read more? Click Below for my last review. What is it of? It’s a real web slinger of a film. Read it first, then you’ll find out why I hate myself for this joke.

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Until next time, I’ll see you folks at the movies.

Movie Review: Spiderman Homecoming (2017)

Hello All,

    Before we begin the review of Spiderman, I’d like to take a moment to talk to you guys about Spiderman. Mainly, the giant elephant in the room in the name of this is the second reboot. You see folks, making movies is hard, making a reboot is harder, but a second reboot is basically unheard of (for now….God I hope I’m wrong.) So with Sony finally relenting on keeping the web slinger all to themselves, and letting Marvel finally play with their own toy, how well do they remember playing with it after all this time? Let’s find out together shall we?

Plot Summary - Two months after revealing himself during the superhero civil war, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is struggling to keep both his personal life, and his life as a crime fighter organized. Wanting to be more of a hero though, he finds his opportunity when alien weaponry makes its way onto the streets of Queens, and it’s up to Peter to find the supplier, and save the day.

Pros - Tom Holland is fantastic as Peter. They made the right movie making him a high school junior, as it explores more of Peter’s youthful energy and ambition. Michael Keaton as Vulture is a brilliant choice, as they took what was usually a silly character and made him menacing and driven. Seeing Jon Favreau back as Happy, and having Robert Downey Jr. pop up throughout is great to see. The action scenes make full use of the hero and the settings, and the writing is fantastic, managing to keep both humour and drama balanced throughout. There’s also a great twist I won’t reveal here that admittedly caught me off guard. The supporting cast is great, and we get a great comic relief in Peter’s friend Ned.

Cons - Admittedly the plot doesn’t really get that great until the twist, mostly relying on the humour and Peter’s investigating to carry it, which is still really damn good. They also have the few moments you would still expect from Spiderman.

Final Score - 10/10

Okay I can’t help it, yes it’s flawed but it’s still a kick ass movie. Admittedly not the best movie I’ve seen all year, but as both a film geek and a Spiderman fan, this is exactly the MCU Spiderman movie I wanted to see. Definitely give it a chance, and stay through the credits.

Next: The Beguiled - Man I do not give myself an easy transition sometimes huh? This one won’t be for awhile though as I have a bit of a busy week ahead of me.

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Want to read more? Click Below for my last review. What is it of? Something really bad. In fact, if you do click the link, don’t bother reading that review, just scroll to the bottom and click the link for the review before that one.

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Until next time, I’ll see you folks at the movies.

Movie Review: The House (2017)

Hello All,

    I have nothing. I don’t know what to say for this one. It’s just another bad raunchy comedy. Everytime this happens I seriously consider just making a blank template for these reviews and just filling in the rest. Well, it has to be done, so let’s do this shall we?

Plot Summary - When their daughter gets accepted to college, Scott (Will Ferrell) and Kate (Amy Poehler) decide to turn a house into a casino in order to support her.

Pros - At least the plot was not as cliched as I was expecting.

Cons - I honestly am sick of just saying it’s not funny over and over again but it’s simply just the truth. Why don’t these films ever just proceed beyond the expected gags and try being inventive every once in awhile?

Final Score - 2/10

It didn’t really anger me, but it’s still junk. Only for die hard ferrell or poehler fans.

Next: Spiderman Homecoming - I’m so goddamn excited.

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Want to read more? Click Below for my last review. What is it of? Probably one of the best films I’ve seen all year.

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Until next time, I’ll see you folks at the movies.