From the beginning to end, I sat in my seat, cringing at the fact that such a big, expensive film was allowed to be made. At the time of this review, the rating on Letterboxd is a 1.5, and I don't understand why it's not lower.
I don't know if it was the acting from <B>every single person</B> in this film, especially Dakota Johnson, who appeared confused throughout, or the <I>Final Destination</i>-like, CGI-heavy dream sequences that dragged it through. Of course, I had seen all of the memes making fun of the film prior to watching, so I didn't exactly go in with high expectations, but I was hoping for something watchable from Marvel (sans <i>Morbius</i>). This was not it.
<i>Madame Web</i> will be one of those campy Marvel films that will gain a cult following, celebrated (mocked) for years to come due to its high budget but cheap output.
<B>Do not get tangled in this web.</b>
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Not a favorite, but it does give W.C. Fields a chance to show off some of his juggling, which was really impressive.
No matter how wild things get, if Michael Caine is narrating me through it, I'm like "Yes, this makes perfect sense."
One of the rare twist-centric films that's still five stars on every rewatch.
Favorite (Not Necessarily Best) Four From Every Year Since Birth
My favorite Craig Kilborn movie.
The scenes with Ryan Gosling teaching Steve Carell how to pick up women in bars have big 40 Year Old Virgin vibes.
Overall this a solid rom-com about a middle-aged married couple getting divorced. It's a good balance of comedy and drama. I'd cut out some of the son's storyline with the babysitter, even though Lio Tipton is my favorite America's Next Top Model contestant.
This is my favorite movie of 2020.
This movie is a lot of fun, and it also has heart and emotion and JK Simmons. Usually time loops are just one person, Groundhog Day-ing it up. It's a nice change of pace to give them company.
Favorite (Not Necessarily Best) Four From Every Year Since Birth
I am comfortable being an outlier on this ratings bell curve.
Kirsten Dunst is one of my favorite actresses, so I gave this another shot after giving it one star last time. I still don't like it at all, but she's great, and I also like the last three minutes.
Well, that was definitely <B>not</B> a lake.
<I>The Stuff</i> is one of those films from the 1980s that is not only so bad, it's so good. It's definitely not Oscar-worthy (nor would it ever make it to this level, ever), but it has a somewhat solid story and great practical effects, even with a small budget (under $2 million), and that's why this film has a fanbase. <A HREF="https://letterboxd.com/tylerdoupe/">Tyler Doupe'</A> <A HREF="https://youtu.be/N5kDceqqlrI">speaks highly of the film</A>, including about <B>The Stuff</B>'s jingle and branding, as well as to how we as consumers are influenced by advertising (and <A HREF="https://www.dreadcentral.com/editorials/the-overlook-motel/449340/the-stuff-is-a-slick-critique-of-consumer-culture-watch/">provides great references to support this</A>).
If this film were made today, viewers would demolish it because the dialog leans on the negative side as our main character, "Mo" Rutherford, is similar to Daniel Challis, Tom Atkins' character from <I>Halloween III: Season of the Witch</i>. They both love beautiful women and have a way with words that would make anyone today shudder with disgust (and HR would be on top of this immediately!). I know <A HREF="http://letterboxd.com/carignano">Mauro</A> would agree with me on this, especially after talking about <I>Halloween III: Season of the Witch</i> on <A HREF="https://boxd.it/taecW">our Double Threat Podcast episode</A>.
Back to the film, I'm sure many have seen some of the film's clips and/or GIFs online, all which mostly spoil the film, but they're fantastic and add to the film's cheesiness and fun, so it's okay to let that slide (The film has been out for almost 40 years and is streaming free on various platforms, so there's no excuse to not have watched it by now). "Chocolate" Charlie and his Bruce Lee-like moves (and over-acting) and Mo's determination to uncover the truth about the The Stuff's ingredients provide under two hours of a worthwhile watch.
If you haven't seen <I>The Stuff</i>, don't let it sit in your watchlist and spoil.
Not a terrible effort, but it fell apart toward the end with the twist-ish ending. The concept and setting were suitable for the film, but the acting was a bit over the top, not allowing each character to fully develop.
<B><SPOILER></B> Later in the film, we learn that Sam was not engaged to Clayton, her "fiancé" who died. She had said no to his proposal, so I believe a plot summary needs some editing.
This is a very believable and lived-in film. It may look like it is about a father and son, but it's really more about the father. We don't get much of the son's perspective; it's more through the father's lens as he wants to set up his son for success as he copes with a midlife crisis.
The breakout star is Sadie Stanley as Dani. Jacob Ward (Sticks) seems a little out of his league compared to the rest of the cast, and Sadie sells the scenes well enough to cover the gap.
I enjoyed this more at home split into two viewings. There's no reason for this to be almost three hours. It's longer than Infinity War!
