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Men in Black International (2019)
Men in Black International (2019)
2019 | Action, Sci-Fi
Weighed, Measured and Found Wanting
Men In Black International is a 2019 sci-fi action/comedy directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. It is based on the Malibu/Marvel comic book series by Lowell Cunningham. The film was produced by Amblin Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, Image Nation, Tencent Pictures and MacDonald/Parkes Productions and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The movie stars Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Rebecca Ferguson, Kumail Nanjiani, Emma Thompson, and Liam Neeson.


Molly Wright (Tessa Thompson) witnesses her parents being neuralized by agents of Men in Black in Brooklyn 1996. Avoiding neuralization as her parents assumed that she was asleep, she helps an alien escape. Twenty-three years later, she manages to track Men in Black agents back to MiB headquarters in New York. Molly makes an impression on Agent O (Emma Thompson), despite being caught entering the building. She is assigned to the London branch on a probationary agent status as "Agent M".


This movie was very predictable. There really wasn't one part of the movie that surprised me plot wise. From the twists and turns that they try and throw at you to the big reveal at the end. A lot of critics said this movie was very forgettable with lackluster action and they are not wrong. However, the movie was quite enjoyable for myself and others. The chemistry between Thompson and Hemsworth was awesome and particularly the voice acting for Kumail Nanjiani's character. His character Pawney, stole the show and really made the movie good. He was the comic relief and center of any scene he was in. The special effects were great and they even threw in a couple of new aliens as they often do with the sequels of this series. The movie also didn't have near the emotional impact of the sequels. It was a decent movie but not as funny, surprising, or stupendous as the first film in the franchise. I give it a 7/10,
  
Always and Forever, Lara Jean
Always and Forever, Lara Jean
Jenny Han | 2017 | Romance, Young Adult (YA)
10
8.1 (11 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the third book in this series. I read the all three books in a matter of days after watching the movie. I really liked this story. I felt that it was a great ending for the story and character arcs and also felt that the theme of going away to college and what that means for you and your relationships is important. I liked the first book best, then this was my second favorite, but all are good! Go read them!
  
Ad Astra (2019)
Ad Astra (2019)
2019 | Adventure, Drama, Mystery
Good and Bad
Overall not a terrible movie. I think it did one thing really well and one not so well. The look at loneliness in space and the journey of a man to find the father who left him. These are powerful emotions and feeling that I personally relate to and I'm sure there are many others that also relate to this. This is what Ad Astra does really well. However, the overall story is rather lacking in depth other than that.
  
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
2021 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Basically, a big-budget scrap fest based in the 'MonsterVerse' that was kicked off by 'Kong: Skull Island' (which, IMO, is still the best of the movies in that series) before expanding to also include 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters', with Godzilla and Kong both positioned as apex beings on planet Earth; both unwilling to give up their dominant position.

Basically, an excuse to have the two monsters fight each other, and against a returning foe from an earlier movie.
  
Get Out (2017)
Get Out (2017)
2017 | Horror, Thriller
I really enjoyed this film I thought it was well directed and acted it wasn't "scary" in the traditional horror movie sense but this one left you feeling tense and uncomfortable throughout which is a refreshing change from your typical cheap jump scare horror the use of dark comedy is also great it helps to alleviate the tenseness but only ever so briefly before throwing you right back into it
  
Death Proof (2007)
Death Proof (2007)
2007 | Action, Horror, Mystery
Worth it for the car chase scene alone!
Tarantino's half of Grindhouse (other half Planet Terror , also very good) seems to have been forgotten, but deserves another look.

Kurt Russell carries the weight of the film and has a lot of funny dialogue.

The car chase scene as well as some of the barroom bits are worth watching. I actually really liked this movie.
  
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Nancy Whang recommended Doolittle by Pixies in Music (curated)

 
Doolittle by Pixies
Doolittle by Pixies
1989 | Alternative

"I got into them when I was maybe like 14 or 15 or something like that. Which was also the time that that movie Pump Up The Volume came out and they did that really slow version of 'Wave Of Mutilation', which I really liked. It was around the time that I was getting into punk, and indie and alternative… things. Why do I like it? Well it's a good record."

Source
  
After (2019)
After (2019)
2019 | Drama, Romance
Acting (1 more)
Casting
Scripting (0 more)
After... certainly not happily ever
This movie had sat on my Netflix watch list for ages, I continued to by pass it daily until I took the plunge. I was glad to watch it, taken in by the story, horrified by the “twist” and rolling along with the predictability. I enjoyed the fresh faced casting, the filming locations also... worth a watch if you like Young Adult drama
  
Failure to Launch (2006)
Failure to Launch (2006)
2006 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
5
5.2 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The more I watch this movie the worse it gets. I don't even really know what to say. It's not like the cast is bad, it's actually full of some real powerhouses, but it's just a bad plot and it moves so slow at times and so quickly at others. I also just didn't get that satisfaction at the end that I've gotten from other films like this. Lots of meh.
  
Blinded by the Light (2019)
Blinded by the Light (2019)
2019 | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Not the feel good hit I was expecting
Blinded by the Light is based on a memoir by Guardian journalist Sarfaz Manzoor (who is also one of the screenwriters on the movie) and is directed by Gurinder Chadha (also one of the screenwriters), who had a hit back in 2002 with Bend it like Beckham. I remember seeing the trailer for this before watching Rocketman recently and it certainly looked like a pretty enjoyable 80s based British movie, set to a soundtrack of Bruce Springsteen songs. Unfortunately though, this turned out to be just a fairly average and generic drama, enjoyable at times, but kind of just meandering along and not really working for me.

The movie takes place in Luton during 1987, focusing on Pakistani teenager Javed (Viveik Kalra) as he struggles to find balance and purpose in his life against the backdrop of a Britain that's ruled by Margaret Thatcher and dominated by unemployment, uncertainty and racial tension. His father has very old fashioned views and his expectations for Javed begin to conflict with his own. Tensions within the family increase when his father is made redundant from the Vauxhall factory he has worked at for many years and Javed's dreams of becoming a writer don't really sit well with his father in terms of being a worthwhile career route. Javed begins sixth form college where his eyes are soon opened to a much bigger world, full of potential. And full of girls!

Everything comes to a head for Javed on the night of the famous UK storm of 1987. We see the infamous Michael Fish weather forecast on TV and a frustrated Javed, having dumped all of his poems outside in the bin, returning to his room and plugging into his Walkman the Bruce Springsteen cassette borrowed from his friend Roops. The song lyrics immediately click and resonate with Javed and we see them flashing up on the screen as he listens, swirling around his head or flashing up on walls. At the same time we see him remembering earlier scenes from the movie, elements of his life with which connect him with the message within the music, in a kind of low-key 80s music video style. It gives the impression of a major turning point in the movie, and the kind of uplifting musical direction in which the movie is heading. In a way, it kind of is, particularly with regard to Javed's 'awakening'. However, in terms of the musical sequences beyond this one, they're more along the lines of random singing and dancing at school or out on the town. It's more awkward and confusing than uplifting and enjoyable.

Blinded by the Light felt like the combination of a number movies I've seen before, with nothing really elevating it beyond those in terms of originality. So many generic characters - from the father stuck in his ways, dictating how his son should live his life, to the supportive and encouraging teacher (Hayley Atwell, on fine form here). And so many clichéd moments too - the best example being when an emotional Javed is arguing with his angry father and repeatedly waving in front of him the concert tickets he just bought without his knowledge. Three guesses as to what happens next...!

Overall, I didn't completely dislike this movie. I liked the 80s school setting, as that was the period that I was in secondary school, so could relate to that. But it also feels like the kind of movie drama that they used to make in the 80s too, and I expect more from my cinema experience these days. It also seems to be getting the usual "one of the best movies this year" phrase thrown at it though, something which I think is bandied around a little too freely at the moment. I put it squarely in the same camp as another movie from this year - Wild Rose, another movie that didn't really do it for me - so if you were one of the many people who enjoyed that movie, then Blinded by the Light will be well worth your time.