I really liked about 98-99% of this. I like the beginning the middle and the very end, but there is about 5 minutes near the end that annoyed me. Someone decided there should be a twist and they REALLY shoehorned one in. It just wasn’t necessary and it could have been avoided.
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Lena Headey is captivating, and the cinematography captures the style of comic book panels perfectly.
I didn't like this as much as I used to. It was pretty original for an over-the-top action movie when it released, and now it just feels so... gratuitous.
I prefer Paul Rudd in more loveable roles.
Jane Lynch steals the show, and I love her and Ken Marino getting the final scene of the movie for a teeny Party Down reunion.
Ronnie is definitely the intended scene stealer, but he was written to be too annoying. Bobb'e J Thompson executes it well, but they went over the top with the whole "young kid swears and talks about boobs" schtick, and it got old fast.
For eight years, I have been certain I would love this movie, but I rarely pick movies that I know will make me sad.
I decided today was the day. I do love it, and I sobbed to the point of that hyperventilating thing that happens. I love it so much, and I may never watch it again.
Favorite (Not Necessarily Best) Four From Every Year Since Birth
Maybe I waited too long to watch this for the first time, but I just never warmed up to Richard Gere's Edward.
I do love the hotel manager being Joe from Princess Diaries though, so I'm going to consider this his prequel.
Little Giants is one of my favorite movies, so I can get behind an underdog sports story. Not this one though.
The actual story is pretty interesting, but Next Goal Wins does whatever the soccer version is of "drops the ball", and I didn't really care if they won other than I hoped the actual team won in real life. Not enough character development. Not enough of anything really.
After finishing <I>Night Shift</i>, I read other reviews stating that this film is a mix between two different horror subgenres: <b>paranormal</b> and <B>slasher</B>. They're correct, but explaining why may be spoiler-ish, so I'm not going there.
To be fair, <I>Night Shift</i>, at 80 minutes, would work best as a short film. The film isn't terrible, but there were a lot of unnecessary scenes that didn't contribute to the story, mainly serving as unnecessary jump scares.
The setting, a motel located in a desolate area, is tense. It's not well-kept, and it definitely needs to get things in order. Gwen, the new night shift manager, stepping into the role immediately, notices strange things happening around the motel, from visions of dead people and a car that slowly drives in the parking lot. Is the motel haunted, or is Gwen just imagining things? As the night unravels, the truth is revealed, and it's not what you think.
<B>Final thoughts</b>:
Book a reservation, but just remember that it'll be for a Super 8, not Four Seasons.
<I>Ricky Stanicky</i> is a dumb, yet funny film (at times). The concept of creating a fake person to place all of your blame and worries on isn't a bad idea, but, just remember, the walls can close in at anytime.
Directed by Peter Farrelly, half of the Farrelly Brothers, who has directed such classics as <I><A HREF="https://letterboxd.com/film/dumb-and-dumber/">Dumb and Dumber</I></A> and <I><A HREF="https://letterboxd.com/film/stuck-on-you/">Stuck On You</i></A>, you may be expecting the duo's formula to pass over into one Farrelly's film, but that's not the case here. It's a unique story, and John Cena has the ability to show off his funny chops, but it felt like Zac Effron and the other two stars were just last-minute additions who lacked any on-screen chemistry and poorly delivered their lines.
<B>Final thoughts</b>:
Go in with an open mind and laugh a little. We can all use a few laughs.<B>Storytime</b>:
20 years ago, I worked part-time in the evenings at a major retail chain. Since I worked with the same men and women at each shift, we had a lot of fun and would laugh the entire time. Whenever we received a call with a customer complaining and asking to speak with a manager, we would redirect them to "Svetlana Yorgeson", our "retail manager". We decided that "Svetlana" was a woman in her mid-to-late 40s, divorced, sounded like she was from Fargo, ND, loved cats, and had two high school-aged children. On the phone (voiced by one of the women I worked with), she was attentive, but also took no shit from customers. Let's just say that "Svetlana" was our voice, saying what we wish we were really able to say to people. Long story short, that was our Ricky Stanicky.
LMFAO!! This was fantastic!! Radioactive zombie children that hug you to death? What more could you ask for?
The acting is admittedly not this films strong suit, but they more than make up for it with creepy kids and a BRILLIANT scene with a shotgun!
Straight from her role in <i>Evil Dead Rise</i>, Lily Sullivan stars as a journalist-turned-podcaster who receives an email that leads her on a path to discover the truth about bricks random people have received. Is she on the path to be humiliated with an outlandish story, or is she about to unveil a conspiracy involving beings from another world?
<blockquote><I>"I want to tell you a story. You might not believe it, but that doesn't mean it isn't true... All you have to do is listen."</i></blockquote>
With elements of <I>Archive 81</i> and <I>Pontypool</i>, as both <A HREF="https://letterboxd.com/acoucalancha/film/monolith-2022/">@acoucalancha</A> and <A HREF="https://letterboxd.com/thebody/film/monolith-2022/">@thebody</A> have pointed out, respectively, Sullivan is the sole actor (and focus) of the film as she speaks and listens to unseen people and their stories about the bricks in a small, minimalistic setting.
<I>Monolith</i> is a simple film. We're not introduced to many characters (by voice), which works throughout, but a lot of the delivery was dead on arrival. The setting, a home with little inside but with majestic view outside, sets a straight tone, but Sullivan needed an adrenaline shot as she seemed too unaware of her character's awareness and intent.
Overall, it's a beautiful film accompanied by an atmospheric soundtrack that guides this one-woman show from beginning to end, leading to a mild, (un)predictable twist within the last 15 minutes.
More like Lessons in Feminism, and I mean that as a compliment. I did not learn anything about chemistry though.
This starts a little rocky, with Brie Larson's Elizabeth giving major Big Bang Theory Sheldon vibes, but that balances out. This series often made me mad in an F the Patriarchy way, the kind that empowers you to enroll in medical school or start rowing.
Judd Nelson and Kristy Swanson collect a paycheck and battle a creature from a black hole created by a super collider. Nonsense ensues.
