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Lilyn G - Sci-Fi & Scary (91 KP) rated The Meg (2018) in Movies
Aug 13, 2018
"Watched #TheMeg. Suggest renaming it #TheMeh." This is what I posted on Twitter after coming out of the movie theater. How do you bland-ify a movie about a gigantic prehistoric shark? Well, you hire Jon Turteltaub as the director, and cast Jason Statham as the lead for starters. Then you methodically go through and remove everything that made the book work so well except for the giant shark. Because, really, who needs the human drama at all? Gigantic shark should carry it through, right? RIGHT?!
I mean just for starters, Jonas from the book, as just a regular old submersible pilot obviously wasn't cool enough. He needs to be a rescue diver. As soon as I realized that was one of the changes they made, I pretty much knew the movie was screwed. Jonas wasn't the only problem with the characters either. The little girl grated on my nerves because hey, every summer movie needs a cheeky kid with unrealistic dialogue in it, right? I could go on, but you get my point.
Anyways, I had paid for all three of us to see it, and we were watching it in 3D, so I figured I would still get some entertainment from it. I was definitely gonna have at least a few shots of the shark coming straight at me, right? They had to have planned to shoot this in 3D, knowing the amount of people like me that would want to see it. Nope. We get a ball flying at our face in one case, and one or two other instances where the 3D actually worked. That was it.
Being honest, there were some fun scenes. They were entirely predictable, but still fun. (The best scenes in the movie are shown in the trailer, by the way.) I jumped a few times, but I'm the type of person who would jump if I saw Elmo walk on unexpectedly on Sesame Street, so take that with a grain of salt.
Overall? The dialogue was cut-and-paste, the characters were almost completely lacking in any traits that made them not cliche characters. The shark was okay. The price I paid for 3D was completely not worth it. Rent the original Jaws. It's better. If you are craving some silliness, rent the original Deep Blue Sea. Its better too.
The Meg wasn't awful. I would have actually preferred to hate it, I think. It was just completely forgettable, and for a movie about a gigantic prehistoric shark, I think that's the worst possible feeling to be left with.
I mean just for starters, Jonas from the book, as just a regular old submersible pilot obviously wasn't cool enough. He needs to be a rescue diver. As soon as I realized that was one of the changes they made, I pretty much knew the movie was screwed. Jonas wasn't the only problem with the characters either. The little girl grated on my nerves because hey, every summer movie needs a cheeky kid with unrealistic dialogue in it, right? I could go on, but you get my point.
Anyways, I had paid for all three of us to see it, and we were watching it in 3D, so I figured I would still get some entertainment from it. I was definitely gonna have at least a few shots of the shark coming straight at me, right? They had to have planned to shoot this in 3D, knowing the amount of people like me that would want to see it. Nope. We get a ball flying at our face in one case, and one or two other instances where the 3D actually worked. That was it.
Being honest, there were some fun scenes. They were entirely predictable, but still fun. (The best scenes in the movie are shown in the trailer, by the way.) I jumped a few times, but I'm the type of person who would jump if I saw Elmo walk on unexpectedly on Sesame Street, so take that with a grain of salt.
Overall? The dialogue was cut-and-paste, the characters were almost completely lacking in any traits that made them not cliche characters. The shark was okay. The price I paid for 3D was completely not worth it. Rent the original Jaws. It's better. If you are craving some silliness, rent the original Deep Blue Sea. Its better too.
The Meg wasn't awful. I would have actually preferred to hate it, I think. It was just completely forgettable, and for a movie about a gigantic prehistoric shark, I think that's the worst possible feeling to be left with.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Jason X (2001) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
Just when you thought it was safe to return to the local theater, along comes “Jason X”, the tenth installment of the popular Friday the 13th series. Having grown tired of the summer camp settings of the majority of the series the creators set recent installments in New York City as well as played with the formula by having Jason possess people as was shown in the last two films of the series.
This is a new era and this time Jason is back to his old tricks in an entirely new setting. After being cryogenically frozen in 2010, Jason and a female scientist are discovered by a student survey team and revived in the year 2455 where Earth has become uninhabitable. Warnings about Jason and his ability to regenerate from any injury are unheeded as the lure of big money is motivating the group’s leader Professor Lowe (Johnathan Potts) rather than the safety of the students and crew of the ship. Before long, Jason is up to his old tricks increasing his body count as he unleashes new and gruesome ways to dispatch the crew.
Being a horror film, the plot is secondary to the action and director James Isaac does not let the film get overly serious and even pokes fun at itself and the series. There are a number of lines and situations where the audience could ask if the characters could be any dumber, however in an interesting twist, these sort of situations as well as others are setup and carried off with intentional comedic results that had the audience laughing and thus providing a nice break from the scares and gore.
The cast is made up of largely unknowns and they are about as forgettable as the movie as they exist to be little more than fodder for Jason. I found it interesting to note that by the year 2455, students are still as ditzy as they are portrayed in 2002, and have libidos that make the 1984 LA Lakers look like a Vestal Virgin convention. That being said, “Jason X” is a standard horror film that has a few twists for the audience. Although you will have seen all of this before, the space setting and the humor helps make the film stand out from some of the stale installments of the series, but the lack of a story and character development keeps this film from being a true Horror classis. My advice, if you are a fan of the series gather your friends and wait for the video.
This is a new era and this time Jason is back to his old tricks in an entirely new setting. After being cryogenically frozen in 2010, Jason and a female scientist are discovered by a student survey team and revived in the year 2455 where Earth has become uninhabitable. Warnings about Jason and his ability to regenerate from any injury are unheeded as the lure of big money is motivating the group’s leader Professor Lowe (Johnathan Potts) rather than the safety of the students and crew of the ship. Before long, Jason is up to his old tricks increasing his body count as he unleashes new and gruesome ways to dispatch the crew.
Being a horror film, the plot is secondary to the action and director James Isaac does not let the film get overly serious and even pokes fun at itself and the series. There are a number of lines and situations where the audience could ask if the characters could be any dumber, however in an interesting twist, these sort of situations as well as others are setup and carried off with intentional comedic results that had the audience laughing and thus providing a nice break from the scares and gore.
The cast is made up of largely unknowns and they are about as forgettable as the movie as they exist to be little more than fodder for Jason. I found it interesting to note that by the year 2455, students are still as ditzy as they are portrayed in 2002, and have libidos that make the 1984 LA Lakers look like a Vestal Virgin convention. That being said, “Jason X” is a standard horror film that has a few twists for the audience. Although you will have seen all of this before, the space setting and the humor helps make the film stand out from some of the stale installments of the series, but the lack of a story and character development keeps this film from being a true Horror classis. My advice, if you are a fan of the series gather your friends and wait for the video.
TacoDave (3553 KP) rated Gentlemen Broncos (2009) in Movies
Oct 30, 2019 (Updated Oct 30, 2019)
dry humor (2 more)
great actors
unique feel
I love this weird movie.
I love Gentelmen Broncos. Full stop.
I saw it for the first time in a theater where I was the only customer, and I was a bit wary of watching a comedy by myself, but it ended up being a great experience. This film is written and directed by the same people who made Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, which should let you know out of the gate that it is a bit abnormal.
The plot centers around a teenage boy named Benjamin who writes science fiction novels. Benjamin is headed off to a writing camp for home-schooled kids. In the bus on the way to camp he meets some other interesting teens and becomes fast friends with a few of them.
Once at the writing camp, he discovers that his favorite author - Ronald Chevalier (played by the hilarious Jemaine Clement) - will be judging everyone's writing. Overjoyed by this news, Benjamin submits his "best" book "Yeast Lords" into the competition. But it seems that things are not what they seem, because Chevalier has a bad case of writer's block, so he steals the plot of "Yeast Lords" and turns it into a new novel that keeps some elements, but destroys others.
Will Benjamin be able to prove a famous author stole his story? Can Benjamin and his friends film their own version of "Yeast Lords" and make a successful movie out of it? Can Benjamin kiss a girl without puking?
Interspersed with the regular scenes of the movie are scenes from the story "Yeast Lords" where Sam Rockwell (amazing, as always) plays the hero Bronco. These scenes morph and shift over the course of the movie as Bronco turns from a manly, tough hero into an effeminate oddball once Chevalier rewrites the story. Watching this transition is fascinating and hilarious.
And interspersed between everything else are oddball character moments that don't add to the plot, but are quirky and funny.
I'll admit that this movie isn't for everyone. It is weird. Some of the humor is so dry you need a drink afterwards. But for my sense of humor, it was dead-on. I have watched it many times, I own it on Blu-ray, and I show it to friends.
Give the trailer a try and see if it is your cup of tea. You'll either hate it (and curse me), or you'll love it and become a fan.
I saw it for the first time in a theater where I was the only customer, and I was a bit wary of watching a comedy by myself, but it ended up being a great experience. This film is written and directed by the same people who made Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, which should let you know out of the gate that it is a bit abnormal.
The plot centers around a teenage boy named Benjamin who writes science fiction novels. Benjamin is headed off to a writing camp for home-schooled kids. In the bus on the way to camp he meets some other interesting teens and becomes fast friends with a few of them.
Once at the writing camp, he discovers that his favorite author - Ronald Chevalier (played by the hilarious Jemaine Clement) - will be judging everyone's writing. Overjoyed by this news, Benjamin submits his "best" book "Yeast Lords" into the competition. But it seems that things are not what they seem, because Chevalier has a bad case of writer's block, so he steals the plot of "Yeast Lords" and turns it into a new novel that keeps some elements, but destroys others.
Will Benjamin be able to prove a famous author stole his story? Can Benjamin and his friends film their own version of "Yeast Lords" and make a successful movie out of it? Can Benjamin kiss a girl without puking?
Interspersed with the regular scenes of the movie are scenes from the story "Yeast Lords" where Sam Rockwell (amazing, as always) plays the hero Bronco. These scenes morph and shift over the course of the movie as Bronco turns from a manly, tough hero into an effeminate oddball once Chevalier rewrites the story. Watching this transition is fascinating and hilarious.
And interspersed between everything else are oddball character moments that don't add to the plot, but are quirky and funny.
I'll admit that this movie isn't for everyone. It is weird. Some of the humor is so dry you need a drink afterwards. But for my sense of humor, it was dead-on. I have watched it many times, I own it on Blu-ray, and I show it to friends.
Give the trailer a try and see if it is your cup of tea. You'll either hate it (and curse me), or you'll love it and become a fan.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Miss Bala (2019) in Movies
Jul 2, 2019
Gloria (Gina Rodriguez), a makeup artist in Los Angeles, heads to Tijuana for a fun weekend with her best friend, Suzu (Cristina Rodlo). Gloria is going to help Suzu prepare for the Miss Baja California beauty pageant. They decide to head to a club to rub elbows with one of the more important judges, Chief Saucedo (Damian Alcazar). That is when a fun trip turns into a nightmare, several members of a local cartel, Estrella (Spanish for star), break in and start shooting up the club. The leader of Estrella, Leno (Ismael Cruz Cordova), believes that Chief Saucedo is trying to cut into his business and is there to assassinate him. Gloria escapes but gets separated from Suzu. She searches all night and calls the hospitals but can’t find her friend. She finds a police officer to have him help search and tells him he saw the attackers. Instead of taking her to the police station he delivers her to Estrella and Leno. He agrees to help her find her friend but there is a price. Now Gloria will have go to great lengths to find her friend and survive a deadly battle between a cartel and the police from right in the middle of the chaos.
Gina Rodriguez is really good in this film. I thought her performance was definitely the best part of this film. Otherwise the performances were a mix bag of good and bad. Cruz Cordova in particular failed to really come across as a scary, but sensitive, cartel leader. The cameo by Anthony Mackie was a surprise. The story is really interesting and there were times that were suspenseful. The action was decent with some good scenes. The issue was there were also some campy performances and scene set ups that felt rushed. The film was shot decently and the music fit well. The end, which I would not dare spoil, really fell short of all of the buildup.
Before looking for a trailer for this movie I did not know that this was a remake of a 2012 film of the same name. I would be interested to see this film to compare the two because I enjoyed the story. This film missed on some points but really did entertain me for the hour and forty-four minutes. I would say that you could save this for streaming or rental. I don’t think that it would be a movie I would watch again in the theater.
Gina Rodriguez is really good in this film. I thought her performance was definitely the best part of this film. Otherwise the performances were a mix bag of good and bad. Cruz Cordova in particular failed to really come across as a scary, but sensitive, cartel leader. The cameo by Anthony Mackie was a surprise. The story is really interesting and there were times that were suspenseful. The action was decent with some good scenes. The issue was there were also some campy performances and scene set ups that felt rushed. The film was shot decently and the music fit well. The end, which I would not dare spoil, really fell short of all of the buildup.
Before looking for a trailer for this movie I did not know that this was a remake of a 2012 film of the same name. I would be interested to see this film to compare the two because I enjoyed the story. This film missed on some points but really did entertain me for the hour and forty-four minutes. I would say that you could save this for streaming or rental. I don’t think that it would be a movie I would watch again in the theater.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Bad Moms (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019 (Updated Aug 6, 2019)
When moms get tired of being perfect, not being appreciated and decide to give their spoiled children a lesson and just enjoy every minute of their day instead – that’s when the movie Bad Moms happens.
Amy Mitchell (Mila Kunis) is a 32-year-old modern mom, who has a seemingly perfect life: a great marriage, over-achieving kids, a beautiful home and a career. However, she is over-worked and so exhausted that she’s reached the point where she is about to snap. Her life has been reduced to spending a lot of time driving her kids to their extracurricular activities and trying to be just in time for everything. Her perfect life is just a smoke screen, her husband Mike (David Walton) has been unemployed for a while, doesn’t care about helping with anything house- or kids-related, and enjoys a little bit too much online entertainment. In addition to being spoiled, her daughter Jane (Oona Laurence) has some anxiety issues and her son Dylan (Emjay Anthony) has never done his own homework. To make it even more interesting, Amy has to deal with the judgement of PTA Queen, Bee Gwendolyn, (Christina Applegate) and her minions Stacy (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Vicky (Annie Mumolo).
After one hectic day, all Amy can do is stop at a bar and grab a glass of whiskey. There she meets two other underappreciated moms, Kiki (Kristen Bell) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn). Over drinks they vent and declare that they’re tired of living up to expectations and not being appreciated for all their hard work. So they decide to be bad moms.
I love seeing Christina Applegate as the villain; she is smart, evil and pulls all the strings, driving everyone to the edge but nobody can say anything because they’re terrified of her. But the one that dominates the comedy is Kathryn Hann. You would think you might be tired of seeing her in just about every movie released in the last 10 years, but oh boy is this woman hilarious! She plays the divorced working mother whose every line, good or bad, makes the audience ask again and again “Did she just say that?”
I really enjoyed this movie. It is the perfect summer comedy that all audiences can enjoy, especially moms who can really relate. This is The Hangover for moms. I assure you will laugh nonstop because it has a wild drunk trip to the grocery store, a memorable show-and-tell demonstration and a really funny lecture about unflattering bras. I promise you will leave the theater with a smile.
Amy Mitchell (Mila Kunis) is a 32-year-old modern mom, who has a seemingly perfect life: a great marriage, over-achieving kids, a beautiful home and a career. However, she is over-worked and so exhausted that she’s reached the point where she is about to snap. Her life has been reduced to spending a lot of time driving her kids to their extracurricular activities and trying to be just in time for everything. Her perfect life is just a smoke screen, her husband Mike (David Walton) has been unemployed for a while, doesn’t care about helping with anything house- or kids-related, and enjoys a little bit too much online entertainment. In addition to being spoiled, her daughter Jane (Oona Laurence) has some anxiety issues and her son Dylan (Emjay Anthony) has never done his own homework. To make it even more interesting, Amy has to deal with the judgement of PTA Queen, Bee Gwendolyn, (Christina Applegate) and her minions Stacy (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Vicky (Annie Mumolo).
After one hectic day, all Amy can do is stop at a bar and grab a glass of whiskey. There she meets two other underappreciated moms, Kiki (Kristen Bell) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn). Over drinks they vent and declare that they’re tired of living up to expectations and not being appreciated for all their hard work. So they decide to be bad moms.
I love seeing Christina Applegate as the villain; she is smart, evil and pulls all the strings, driving everyone to the edge but nobody can say anything because they’re terrified of her. But the one that dominates the comedy is Kathryn Hann. You would think you might be tired of seeing her in just about every movie released in the last 10 years, but oh boy is this woman hilarious! She plays the divorced working mother whose every line, good or bad, makes the audience ask again and again “Did she just say that?”
I really enjoyed this movie. It is the perfect summer comedy that all audiences can enjoy, especially moms who can really relate. This is The Hangover for moms. I assure you will laugh nonstop because it has a wild drunk trip to the grocery store, a memorable show-and-tell demonstration and a really funny lecture about unflattering bras. I promise you will leave the theater with a smile.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated The Guilt Trip (2012) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
If you’re like me, as soon as you saw Seth Rogan was the lead in a road trip movie you probably billed it as another one of his comedies and put it on the eventually-will-see list. That was me, I would not have bought tickets to see this in the theater and I probably wouldn’t have rented it either until much later after a Blu-Ray/DVD release (I still haven’t seen Knocked Up). After watching this though I’ve changed my mind.
We start with Andy Brewster, Seth Rogan, getting many voicemails from his mother Joyce Brewster, Barbra Streisand. It starts earlier than he gets up in the morning and continues on into the evening. They’re to show she cares but she nags, a lot. making sure he’s ready for his meeting with Kmart. He’s an organic chemist trying to sell his all natural, safe, cleaning product. He is trying to sell his product to a big name distributor and after this meeting he’s planned a road trip to get as many distributors as he can. His trip starts by flying to the east coast and driving back; his mother lives on the east coast and when he flies in she picks him up for a little visit.
While visiting with her before she tells him something about her past she’s never told him. It affected her deeply and he decides to help her with this situation by inviting her on the trip with him. I’d like to say here, the title of this movie is misleading. As you can imagine comedy ensues but there’s very little if any guilt involved, at least I didn’t really see it. There’s a range of emotions too and you really feel them. Mostly due to the play between Seth Rogan and Barbra Streisand they both did great and really suck you in.
Obviously they learn things about each other and themselves on this road trip, but it’s not over the top, either in its emotional moments or its happy moments. The ending is a very nice heartwarming surprise that goes with the tone of the movie. It was extremely enjoyable and I would recommend this movie to anyone. It’s definitely a renter and I will be buying it but if you want to wait until it’s released on Blu-Ray/DVD I don’t believe anything will be lost in waiting. If you see it in theaters you won’t feel like you’ve wasted your time or money.
We start with Andy Brewster, Seth Rogan, getting many voicemails from his mother Joyce Brewster, Barbra Streisand. It starts earlier than he gets up in the morning and continues on into the evening. They’re to show she cares but she nags, a lot. making sure he’s ready for his meeting with Kmart. He’s an organic chemist trying to sell his all natural, safe, cleaning product. He is trying to sell his product to a big name distributor and after this meeting he’s planned a road trip to get as many distributors as he can. His trip starts by flying to the east coast and driving back; his mother lives on the east coast and when he flies in she picks him up for a little visit.
While visiting with her before she tells him something about her past she’s never told him. It affected her deeply and he decides to help her with this situation by inviting her on the trip with him. I’d like to say here, the title of this movie is misleading. As you can imagine comedy ensues but there’s very little if any guilt involved, at least I didn’t really see it. There’s a range of emotions too and you really feel them. Mostly due to the play between Seth Rogan and Barbra Streisand they both did great and really suck you in.
Obviously they learn things about each other and themselves on this road trip, but it’s not over the top, either in its emotional moments or its happy moments. The ending is a very nice heartwarming surprise that goes with the tone of the movie. It was extremely enjoyable and I would recommend this movie to anyone. It’s definitely a renter and I will be buying it but if you want to wait until it’s released on Blu-Ray/DVD I don’t believe anything will be lost in waiting. If you see it in theaters you won’t feel like you’ve wasted your time or money.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Bridesmaids (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Everyone has a best friend during each stage of life but only a few have the same one since childhood. In this case we have Annie (Kristen Wiig) who is asked by her very best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) to be her maid of honor. Although Annie doesn’t think she can handle the stresses and responsibilities of being a maid of honor, she reluctantly agrees.
A failed baker now working in a jewelry shop, Annie is facing a crisis. She is in her thirties and no longer satisfied with “booty calls.” Rooming with two bizarre Brits, Annie also has to put up with a mother who is addicted to speaking at AA meetings yet has never had an alcoholic beverage. However Annie did get the job working in a jewelry store as a favor provided by an AA member that her mother sponsors. Will this wedding be the end of the mess she’s made of her life, or will she continue down this pathetic path?
Meanwhile, Lillian, who is marrying a very wealthy man, has become close friends with Helen (Rose Byrne), the wife of her fiance’s boss. When Annie and Helen meet at the engagement party, tension arises and a battle ensues over the microphone to see who can give the bride the best speech. Annie feels threatened by Lillian’s new “best friend” and declares war against Helen. Her first move is a bridesmaids’ brunch at a sketchy Brazilian restaurant with highly uncomfortable results. Unfortunately the results don’t reveal themselves until Lillian, Hellen, Annie and bridesmaids Megan, Rita and Becca (Melissa McCarthy,Wendi McLendon-Covey and Elli Kemper) are in the middle of trying on bridesmaids dresses in a very swanky high-end bridal shop.
This and other unfortunate bridal mishaps that drive “Bridesmaids” are the products of the writing collaboration of Kristen Wigg and Annie Mumolo (who can be seen in a plane scene as the nervous neighbor). Directed by Paul Feig, “Bridesmaids” is this year’s “Hangover” for women. It is great to finally see a raunchy rom-com that does not leave any room for a dull moment. Some of the funny dialogue was drowned out by the audience who, including myself, were still recovering from the prior funny lines. Kristen Wigg, along with all the actresses in this film, bring a hilarious and seemingly improvised story to the big screen in grand style. This is one of those comedies you don’t want to miss. I give this a 4 out of 5 star rating and will be back in the theater to see it again.
A failed baker now working in a jewelry shop, Annie is facing a crisis. She is in her thirties and no longer satisfied with “booty calls.” Rooming with two bizarre Brits, Annie also has to put up with a mother who is addicted to speaking at AA meetings yet has never had an alcoholic beverage. However Annie did get the job working in a jewelry store as a favor provided by an AA member that her mother sponsors. Will this wedding be the end of the mess she’s made of her life, or will she continue down this pathetic path?
Meanwhile, Lillian, who is marrying a very wealthy man, has become close friends with Helen (Rose Byrne), the wife of her fiance’s boss. When Annie and Helen meet at the engagement party, tension arises and a battle ensues over the microphone to see who can give the bride the best speech. Annie feels threatened by Lillian’s new “best friend” and declares war against Helen. Her first move is a bridesmaids’ brunch at a sketchy Brazilian restaurant with highly uncomfortable results. Unfortunately the results don’t reveal themselves until Lillian, Hellen, Annie and bridesmaids Megan, Rita and Becca (Melissa McCarthy,Wendi McLendon-Covey and Elli Kemper) are in the middle of trying on bridesmaids dresses in a very swanky high-end bridal shop.
This and other unfortunate bridal mishaps that drive “Bridesmaids” are the products of the writing collaboration of Kristen Wigg and Annie Mumolo (who can be seen in a plane scene as the nervous neighbor). Directed by Paul Feig, “Bridesmaids” is this year’s “Hangover” for women. It is great to finally see a raunchy rom-com that does not leave any room for a dull moment. Some of the funny dialogue was drowned out by the audience who, including myself, were still recovering from the prior funny lines. Kristen Wigg, along with all the actresses in this film, bring a hilarious and seemingly improvised story to the big screen in grand style. This is one of those comedies you don’t want to miss. I give this a 4 out of 5 star rating and will be back in the theater to see it again.
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Gemini Man (2019) in Movies
Jul 7, 2020
Innovative and Intriguing, Double The Will Smith Fails To Push The Movie From Good To Great
Contains spoilers, click to show
So before I saw this movie I actually saw Will Smith on The Stephen Colbert Show. They rolled a clip from the motorcycle fight scene from the movie and I was taken aback by how fake some of it looked. And not the action of it but the movements of the younger Will Smith clone. On the show Will Smith said that this is the first film where the entire character of the young clone was completely digital and there was no MOCAP or digital de-aging. I'm not sure if it was this new way of having the character there that caused the movement to look so fake but some of the scenes had parts that were downright laughable. Since I knew this already I tried not to go into the movie with too high of expectations. And because of this and really giving it a chance I think I was more able to enjoy it then others who will definitely be turned off by it. I hate that for some people it will hurt there ability to suspend belief because that's one reason we all go to the theater. To get sucked into another world where anything is possible and forget about the real world for an hour or two. This really was a good movie besides that being it's greatest fault. There are even some scenes where it looks totally fine and really good. Most scenes like that are zoomed into his face during dialogue and the amount of detail they did was really fantastic. I mean Will Smith did a great job as this disillusioned assassin, Mary Elizabeth Winstead did a good job as a rookie agent meant to be surveiling him, and Benedict Wong was cool as Baron his friend and ex-colleague. Even Clive Owen did good as Clay Varris, head of a top-secret black ops unit codenamed "Gemini". The plot wasn't very complicated, Will retires and starts learning that people he killed were innocent and then people start trying to kill him before he can learn the truth. He finds out that a younger clone of himself is trying to kill him and he tries not to kill him as he tries to take down the man responsible for this. Nothing remarkable but there were some pretty good action scenes especially the finale where they fight in the town. As I said I give this movie a 6/10.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Dog Days (2018) in Movies
May 15, 2021
Cheesy but Solid
Dog Days revolves around a number of moving parts stories that shows the strength of relationships between people and man’s best friend.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 5
Typically with stories like these that have a number of different characters sharing screen time, it really can be a challenge to get the film off to a hot start as you introduce everyone. Ten minutes in, I wasn’t completely sold on the film, but it was enough for me to say, “What the hell? I’ll give it a shot.” Not bad, but not great.
Characters: 8
Again, moving parts stories introduce a lot of characters and it’s hard to try and get people to care about everyone. While I wasn’t invested in everyone all of the time, there were plenty of moments where I cared about the character’s outcome. There were certain characters I cared about a lot more than others like the coffee shop girl and the shelter owner.
Cinematography/Visuals: 7
Conflict: 6
This is a family film, very much meant to be light-hearted. While Disney has somehow found a way of perfecting having conflict while keeping things light, Dog Days suffered a bit more in that respect. Maybe it’s the fact that you know everything is going to work itself out in the end. Then again, you kind of know that for most movies, but it’s that drive of conflict that really makes things seem dire and leave you wondering for a bit. Not the case with Dog Days.
Entertainment Value: 10
Not going to lie, this movie really had me invested from beginning to end. It’s funny, endearing, and you get to see a bunch of cute dogs. Not going to win any academy awards, but it’s a fun movie I would recommend for any family. I didn’t leave the theater thinking I had wasted my time. It was more of a, “Wow, that was surprisingly fun.”
Memorability: 9
Pace: 10
The 113-minute runtime definitely doesn’t feel like it. Sometimes having a number of storylines can confuse the audience, but I managed to follow along at an easy pace. There are no bumps, it’s pretty smooth sailing from beginning to end.
Plot: 5
Resolution: 9
Overall: 79
I can think of countless family movies that would be a better use of your two hours than Dog Days. However, for what it is, the movie does the trick. It’s undeniably cute and pretty darn entertaining. Even better if you’re a dog lover. For all of it’s cheesiness, it’s pretty solid overall.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 5
Typically with stories like these that have a number of different characters sharing screen time, it really can be a challenge to get the film off to a hot start as you introduce everyone. Ten minutes in, I wasn’t completely sold on the film, but it was enough for me to say, “What the hell? I’ll give it a shot.” Not bad, but not great.
Characters: 8
Again, moving parts stories introduce a lot of characters and it’s hard to try and get people to care about everyone. While I wasn’t invested in everyone all of the time, there were plenty of moments where I cared about the character’s outcome. There were certain characters I cared about a lot more than others like the coffee shop girl and the shelter owner.
Cinematography/Visuals: 7
Conflict: 6
This is a family film, very much meant to be light-hearted. While Disney has somehow found a way of perfecting having conflict while keeping things light, Dog Days suffered a bit more in that respect. Maybe it’s the fact that you know everything is going to work itself out in the end. Then again, you kind of know that for most movies, but it’s that drive of conflict that really makes things seem dire and leave you wondering for a bit. Not the case with Dog Days.
Entertainment Value: 10
Not going to lie, this movie really had me invested from beginning to end. It’s funny, endearing, and you get to see a bunch of cute dogs. Not going to win any academy awards, but it’s a fun movie I would recommend for any family. I didn’t leave the theater thinking I had wasted my time. It was more of a, “Wow, that was surprisingly fun.”
Memorability: 9
Pace: 10
The 113-minute runtime definitely doesn’t feel like it. Sometimes having a number of storylines can confuse the audience, but I managed to follow along at an easy pace. There are no bumps, it’s pretty smooth sailing from beginning to end.
Plot: 5
Resolution: 9
Overall: 79
I can think of countless family movies that would be a better use of your two hours than Dog Days. However, for what it is, the movie does the trick. It’s undeniably cute and pretty darn entertaining. Even better if you’re a dog lover. For all of it’s cheesiness, it’s pretty solid overall.
NerdGeek (155 KP) Aug 13, 2018
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) Dec 4, 2018