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Reviews
Spree (2020)
Unpopular Opinion Time!!!
Based on the so-so reviews I've seen, know a lot of you probably saw this film for what it was intended to be... a cheesy, cringe-filled hour and a half long "social media is bad for you" PSA written by old men who don't even know how to use phones around a conference table.
I've seen Unfriended. I've seen Cam. I've seen Nerve. None of these even came close to Spree - and I'm placing this movie up there with my other all-time favorites like Uncut Gems and Parasite. This movie isn't a masterpiece, nor does it have the incredible shots and soundtracks of other majorly loved movies. And honestly? It was not supposed to be one of the best. I mean, they literally played the GUMMY BEAR song while some kid kills people to get noticed.
This movie was so out-of-touch that it was perfect. Nothing felt fake - this character was actually totally believable. Maybe not the length of his crime spree, but people have done exactly this before. There have been tons of murders uploaded to or even filmed live on various social media platforms - and why else would someone do that other than to get attention?
I think people tie a rope of hate around any content made about social media with the assumption that it's going to be some cheesy garbage that makes social media look like it's inherently evil. This filmed showed that it isn't the platform itself, but rather the person who uses it. Even Bobby, despite being grandiose and annoying as h***, felt realistic to me (think: Ricegum or Jake Paul).
If you pay attention to the chat as well... it is totally on point. It included the people advertising their own channels, people trolling Kurt, even people who egged him on. If something like The Lesson really happened, I guarantee it would have a chat exactly like that.
Overall? I loved this movie. It is an accurate representation of social media without feeling like it was written by someone who's never used it.
Would You Rather (2012)
Such a great premise for a horror movie...
Interesting movie with a great show of what kind of graphic effects you can produce, even on a fairly low budget. Amy was gorgeous and her character was the smartest one present, but her acting was subpar... that may be why they gave her so few lines. Every time she spoke it was just so overdramatic (I know, I know, they're about to be killed... but it wasn't "terrified" dramatic more than the type of dramatic you'd see watching a high school play where the kid is just trying to talk loud and strong enough for the entire theater to hear them). Despite this, she was my favorite to win because she did seem tough. Iris didn't really do anything to deserve the win; she just happened to be seated between two guys who wanted to protect her. I guess the same could be said about Amy though (turning the rest of the participants against her), but it is a pretty good strategy because I'd have assumed the son would take a liking to Amy and protect her. Iris finally pulled through at the end to end the game, though her making it that far really came down to luck.
The best acting came from Jeffrey Combs - it didn't sound forced or like he was acting in a play. He was naturally intimidating and calm, and that tied the atmosphere together.
Plot devices came out of nowhere and for no real purpose - i.e. mentioning Amy's husband randomly 3/4 through the movie. Iris's wound seemed to disappear after it happened... she didn't even seek medical care after she made it home despite being stabbed in the literal stomach. She's just shown in the bathroom washing it off... isn't that where your lungs are? Your intestines? You don't particularly want a hole in either of those lasting longer than it has to.
Horrifying ending where her brother killed himself to show it was all for nothing. Now, I usually love a good plot twist (I loved the ending of Uncut Gems), but this took it too far. Seriously - what is the lesson? At least in Uncut Gems they were trying to give you a message about greed. This gives no message - what, that you shouldn't help family over strangers because they could betray you too? That if you ever find yourself in a position where you can either help a family member or kill a stranger, you should act faster??
The Midnight Sky (2020)
Slow, boring, and unrewarding
Most movies that make you wait until the end for *literally anything* to happen make up for it with some sort of crazy twist or exciting reveal. However, this movie has its ending spelled out from the very beginning and it KNOWS this because it takes every chance possible to drag out boring scenes to hit the feature-length mark. Only good part of this movie was the cute father-daughter scenes that we got like, 2 of.
Knives Out (2019)
Hilariously gaudy murder mystery movie
At first, I assumed this movie would be a classic shift of perspectives where each family member's guilt would be entertained for awhile - until they outed the perpetrator pretty much immediately upon starting the movie. This film just does not play it safe
Pros:
- Some hilarious quips
- Symbolism!!! (the wheel of knives, the board game, etc)
- Main character is a nurse <3
- Eccentric characters created to be so ridiculously stereotypical that they're lovable
- I really had no idea how the ending would turn out, even when I knew who committed the crime!
- Marta's accent is literally so cute I could listen to her talk ALL DAY
Cons:
- Some not-so-hilarious lines
- The puking was... interesting. Lazy plot device, but unique.
- The other 2 cops (not Blanc) felt somewhat useless... they didn't do much aside from interrupt and disagree with Blanc on the most obvious details only to be totally ignored by everyone
Joker (2019)
Overhyped
I often overlook major flaws of movies because of pretty camera shots and nice colors onscreen, but I can't say I enjoyed this film. Had to try pretty hard to not get distracted while watching this; the Joker isn't my type of character. I'm sure many edgy boys would disagree.
Not all that exciting, slow-paced compared to other movies in this vein, and overall disappointing based on all the hype.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Standard cool-guy movie
Despite the title, I do like this movie! I took away stars because the theme is fairly generic - some high roller man has a lot of sex, does a lot of drugs, leaves his wife for a hotter girlfriend, and still gets a somewhat happy ending. It's intense and funny, but nothing happened in this movie that shocked me or demonstrated anything different than every other movie in this category. Maybe you have to be a man to enjoy it to its fullest potential - I'm sure many of them watch this movie with their jaws hanging open about how ideal his life is to them. Personally, I'd be happier living in the Midsommar cinematic universe!!!
(You can't go wrong with Jonah Hill though. 5 stars for his presence.)
Gisaengchung (2019)
The first movie I ever recommended to others... there is no mercy
I've never been much of a person for movies, but I didn't really have a choice but to start watching some of the more popular ones as I became friends with people into cinema.
I cannot express my love for this movie enough - I've seen it four times now (showing it to anyone who will watch it with me, and once in theaters) and it is just as good every time. Creative camerawork, greedy yet redeemable characters who talk like real people, and the craziest plot twists that nobody could see coming.
The ending reminds me of Midsommar in a way that it uses bright, lush greenery and beautiful people standing against scenes of brutal murder. The stark contrast makes these types of scenes so surreal and almost romantic, in a way. Bright green on bright red, with copious amounts of sunshine spilling in. It slices right through the serene atmosphere. Loss in Parasite is permanent - it is not resolved by a cut to "ten years later" where all of the protagonists have recovered and are back to normal. There is no mercy in this film and I love it.
Midsommar (2019)
Terrifying in a unique way
I saw this movie about a year ago, and the plot is still fresh in my head. The scenes were beautiful with wonderful uses of bright colors against a dark atmosphere. It was serene but also chaotic; shocking visuals and events draw you in for the explosive ending that is possibly one of the most satisfying I have ever seen in film - the protagonist lives to see her enemies die, but she doesn't just love. She is recognized by the people and celebrated, free from the grasps of the fake friends and cheating boyfriends. It's a nice change from watching our protagonists just barely scape out with their lives at the end, unable to enjoy the victory they have achieved.
I took one star away for the cheating scene because it was upsetting to watch, but I understand and appreciate directors who take the chance to make their audience uncomfortable. It just felt a little too real for me... which is good, in a way, but I would not rewatch the movie because of this scene. I wish I could though - it's a masterpiece!
Uncut Gems (2019)
Incredible!
This was the most unbelievably stressful movie I've ever seen. Two hours straight of yelling, poor decisions, and shaky camera movement. I couldn't take my eyes off of the screen - and that is saying something considering I have ADHD and can barely sit through a typical movie. This movie was fast-paced, shocking, and uncomfortable the whole way through. Not enough directors are willing to make their audiences uncomfortable anymore.
The ending will kill you inside, but it is well worth it for the pure adrenaline you get from watching this man spiral into pure chaos. I watched the credits with my JAW DROPPED. I couldn't believe a thing I'd just seen, especially coming from Adam Sandler. I think he's been in the wrong genre for all these years.
53 Days: The Abduction of Mary Stauffer (2019)
Uncomfortably Calm
Reading the stories about the abduction, torture, and daily r*** of Mary Stauffer and her daughter Beth would prepare you for a terrifying, gut-wrenching film about their horrific 7 weeks spent in a closet guarded by the psychopath Ming Sen Shiue. However, none of the characters seemed to be particularly interested in the matter. Mary looked only mildly uncomfortable at her worst, her kidnapper (Ming) was painted to be some sort of relatable guy - even going so far as to give him a tragic backstory, sad conversations with Mary, showing him offering kind gifts to the girls. Even while the kidnapping took place neither of them (including the 8 year old little girl) shed a tear. Ming looked only mildly annoyed when he was arrested for kidnapping, r***, and murder. Her husband looked disinterested throughout the entire movie (bad acting?) Her husband's sister smiled when his kidnapped daughter called them - wouldn't any sane person be petrified that the girl was still stuck with some deranged murderer? But wait... you wouldn't know about the murder. The movie waits until the very end to mention that he killed a little boy whilst abducting the girls. Maybe so the viewer wouldn't lose their pity for this "lonely man who just wanted a family"?
The redeeming factors of this movie entirely lies in the quality. It is cinematic, with gorgeous shots and an appropriate soundtrack. The symbolic replacement of the daily r*** (which Ming recorded in real life) with filmed conversations between the two was creative and somewhat appreciated (I would have skipped the scenes had they actually involved r***) - but it detracted from the monster this man truly is. It felt like we were supposed to feel bad for him, in some twisted way. Were he not a real person who actually did these things and worse, maybe I could see this choice. But he does not deserve to be painted as less of a psychotic loser than he really was. This is the same man that not only attacked Mary in court with a knife during his trial, but also offered another inmate 50,000$ to kill both her and her daughter before they could testify. He had no humanity, and you're not fooling anybody by giving him some sad lines and a love for gift giving. If you can't tell the true story, you should have just come up with a work of fiction because this was not remotely representative of what happened to those poor girls.