Grant's Movie Log

Girls Trip (2017)

(80%)
Director: Malcolm D. Lee
Writers: Malcolm D. Lee, Will Packer
Stars: Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith
Production Company: Universal Pictures

I love comedies. I really do, but they hardly ever live up to my expectations. A decent comedy for me is one that makes me snort or "blow air" threw my nose. I don't find my self laughing out loud a ton while watching comedies. So when I do find myself laughing out loud, and laughing out loud often...I know I'm watching an excellent comedy. And that's what Girls Trip was. This may be a female led film that is primarily aimed towards females, but it was just damn funny. The jokes are over-the-top and they don't hold back. They get pretty dirty, and that is what I loved the most about this film. It was simply a pleasure to watch this with a couple of friends and laugh together. Even if you're a dude, I'd give this one a watch. You'll laugh way more than you think you will.

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My Letterboxd

Alien (1979)

(78%)
Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: Dan O'Bannon
Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt
Production Company: Twentieth Century-Fox Productions

I can definitely see how Alien was a pretty amazing movie for the year it was released in. It could easily pass as a sci-fi film that has been released much more recently than 1979. However, I can't really judge it purely based off of the year it was released in because I'm watching it for the first time in 2018. And, honestly, it just didn't grab me like I thought it would. I definitely expected more horror elements than what it had, and frankly I didn't find anything about this film particularly excellent outside of how good the alien looks for the era this film was made in. It was still a fun watch, and I do plan on watching the rest of the films in the Alien franchise, but this one was definitely a bit of a let down.

Alien (1979) is a real classic. It somewhat suffers from the fact that the plot was recycled in Prometheus and Covenant. I suppose you have seen these first and therefore you felt underwhelmed with Alien (1979).

Drive (2011)

(91%)
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Writer: Hossein Amini
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston
Production Company: FilmDistrict

Drive is one of those films that I feel like I'm going to give a higher rating to than most people. Everything worked for me: the story, the tight runtime, the main character, the cinematography, and the soundtrack. I can't really think of anything that disappointed me about this film. I went into it not knowing anything about it (apart from that my roommate liked it and said it has one of the best film soundtracks in recent years), and when I finished it I was already looking forward to the next time that I'll watch it.

Honestly, I expected this film to be in the same vein of Baby Driver. A film about a getaway driver that has quite a few fun scenes, a decent amount of action, and some serious moments to drive the story forward. I...I was quite wrong in expecting that. This isn't a "fun" film. This isn't a story about him just doing jobs in exchange for cash while listening to some sweet music. This is a serious movie that is mostly character driven. Ryan Gosling is fantastic as the stoic, badass Driver, and everyone else in the film kills it in their roles as well.

One reason why I think this film really worked for me is how tight the story is. There aren't really any dead or pointless scenes. Everything has a purpose, and there are some scenes in this film that have an incredible amount of tension. I also really liked the cinematography and overall look of it, all the way down to the long takes that the director used at some points.

On top of all of that, the soundtrack is incredible. It fits the film perfectly and is also a good listen on its own.

I can see why not everyone would love, or even like this film, but it all just worked for me.

Girls Trip is one of my favorite comedies of the past recent years. Alien is a masterpiece for me, but I get where you're coming from. Haven't seen Drive but your review was pretty convincing.

The Beguiled (2017)

(66%)
Director: Sofia Coppola
Writer: Sofia Coppola
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning
Production Company: American Zoetrope

The Beguiled is a rather simple film. It all takes place during the Civil War and most of the story occurs inside and around one mansion that is owned by a southern lady. She runs a school for young women within the mansion and as a result the only occupants of the mansion are women. One of the young women finds an injured Union soldier in the woods. They decide to help heal him instead of handing him over to the Confederate patrol, and things start to get a bit tense as time goes on and he spends more time with the women.

This film is well made and well acted, but at the end of the day it is the story that makes it come up short from being a great film, in my opinion. The entire film is setting up a rather specific scenario with the soldier. A decision that he will make that will shape the rest of the film, and honestly, when the time came it was a bit anti-climatic and from there on it was rather obvious the path the story would go down.

I was reminded a lot of mother! as I was watching The Beguiled. I do think that this is a better film, but because it seemed like it was over an hour of building up for something that ultimately disappointed me...I couldn't help but think of mother! as the credits rolled.

This isn't a bad film, but given a better story I do think it had the potential to be much better.

I made a few changes to the front page of my log. Now, instead of having ratings of some films I haven't reviewed yet, there are only ratings for films that I have reviewed on here. Just wanted a cleaner look.

This week's plans:

For sure watching:
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) (Already reviewed)
A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

Might watch:
Bad Samaritan (2018)
Ingrid Goes West (2017)

Bad Samaritan (2018)

(54%)
Director: Dean Devlin
Writer: Brandon Boyce
Stars: Kerry Condon, David Tennant, Robert Sheehan
Production Company: Electric Entertainment

Bad Samaritan is an entertaining watch. I can't deny that. I wasn't bored by it and you could even say that I enjoyed myself for the most part while watching it. It has an interesting premise, and I was impressed by the antagonist. However, it's hard for me to ignore how incredibly stupid most of the characters in this film are. My goodness, I guess we are just meant to assume that most of the people that found themselves in this story are not the smartest folks around. Even when I try to ignore that issue, I still have a few problems with how the story unfolded in the third act. The dialogue is also quite painful at times.

Bad Samaritan reminded me of Disturbia in a sense, except it's not as good. Like I said, I didn't hate this film, and it was entertaining enough to make me feel like I didn't waste $5 on a ticket, but I don't think I'll ever have the sudden urge to watch this one again.

Audio Review

I've decided to start doing audio versions of some of my reviews. Not for every movie I watch, but I hope to do it for a decent chunk of them. I'm going to be experimenting quite a bit with the concept, as I haven't decided if I want it to just be audio (aka a podcast) or if I want it to be a video. I added an audio only one to my Bad Samaritan review above, but it was more of just a first run at it. I didn't plan a whole lot for it before hitting record, so they should become more polished as I do more of them.

A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

(93%)
Director: Sergio Leone
Writers: Víctor Andrés Catena, Jaime Comas Gil, Sergio Leone
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Gian Maria Volontè, Marianne Koch
Production Company: Constantin Film

I am a huge fan of Westerns. It was one of the first genres that my dad got me hooked on outside of sci-fi (Star Wars) and animation (Pixar). And, actually, A Fistful of Dollars was the first Western I ever watched.

It may have a simple story and a rather short runtime, but I find the story incredibly enjoyable, and Clint Eastwood's the Man with No Name character is truly the perfect Western gunslinger character. Some of the gunplay hasn't necessarily aged all that well, but I'm willing to look past that at this point. A Fistful of Dollars may not be the greatest Western of all-time, but it's up there for me.

Audio Review

This week's plans:

For sure watching:
Ingrid Goes West (2017)
Good Time (2017)

Might watch:
Deadpool 2 (2018) - Haven't decided if I'm gonna see it opening weekend or wait for the crowd to thin out.

Ingrid Goes West (2017)

(80%)
Director: Matt Spicer
Writers: David Branson Smith, Matt Spicer
Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen, O'Shea Jackson Jr.
Production Company: Mighty Engine

I liked Ingrid Goes West way, way more than I expected to, and I think I can attribute that primarily to the generation I'm apart of. I can see people that aren't in the Millennial or Z generations really not liking it, though, because social media is a HUGE part of the plot. if you are in high school or college right now, Instagram is a big deal. It's almost impossible to avoid it, and as a result it's inevitable that you will meet some people that are addicted to it. That's what the main character of this film is, she's addicted to Instagram. She's got plenty of other issues as well, but her obsession with IG plays a big part in this story. Essentially, this is the story of a girl who wants to be friends with another girl she finds on Instagram (and get famous herself after befriending said girl), but she's a psycho...so really she just ends up being a stalker. And that's what this film is at it's core: it's a movie about a stalker. I knew what the ending was going to be the entire time, and while they did put a little twist on it at the end which I found perfect for the type of film that this is, I feel like that's the only real flaw that this film has. It's predictable. I knew what was going to happen in a general sense, but I still enjoyed watching how it all unfolded. The script isn't particularly remarkable in any way but there are some moments where it shines. I will say that I really enjoyed the cinematography of this film. It definitely has the kind of look that I would expect for a film like this.

I really didn't expect to like this one as much as I did. I thought it was going to be a story about two girls trying to get Instagram famous after moving to California, actually. But I was in for quite the surprise. I recommend giving it a shot.

Ingrid Goes West is dope.

Juno (2007)

(85%)
Director: Jason Reitman
Writer: Diablo Cody
Stars: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner
Production Company: Fox Searchlight Pictures

I actually read the screenplay for Juno some time ago for a class, but I had never watched the movie until now. And, man, the screenplay really does transfer to the screen perfectly. Everyone looked and acted like I imagined, and the vibe of the movie is the exact same as the screenplay, which doesn't always happen with movies. The dialogue is amusing even when characters are having a normal conversation purely because of Diablo Cody's unique writing style. It's hard to imagine a group of real life people actually talking like her characters, but she makes it believable in the world that she created. It's a simple story but an enjoyable one, and I feel like I could watch this movie any day of the week and have a good time.

Good Time (2017)

(75%)
Directors: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie
Writers: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie
Stars: Robert Pattinson, Benny Safdie, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Production Company: Elara Pictures

Finally, I've started to make my way through A24's catalogue of films. Most of their releases are not shown where I live, and if I was inclined to see them at any cost I'd have to drive 30+ minutes. So, I've resorted to watching them on demand, and luckily Amazon has most of them on Prime Video. I plan on trying to watch one a week.

First up is Good Time, which I knew absolutely nothing about before I watched it. All I had seen before watching it was the Blu-Ray cover at Best Buy, and it didn't really tip me off to what kind of movie it was. Essentially, it's the story of a man, named Connie, who robs a bank with his handicapped brother and his brother ends up getting arrested, and so it follows Connie as he tries to get him out of prison. It's a fast-paced thriller that was quite entertaining, and really it's quite realistic, which was surprising. I don't expect movies to be realistic. They are movies, after all. But Connie's one-night journey comes off as the kind of night somebody could actually have if they were desperate to free a loved one from prison as fast as they could. And that impressed me, and made me even more interested in the film. The cinematography is also quite good, although I am a sucker for the "outrun" style color palette. This was a nice shakeup from the films I've been watching lately. Interesting premise and solid execution.

This week's plans:

For sure watching:
Deadpool 2 (2018)
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Might watch:
Cargo (2018)
Breaking In (2018)
It Comes at Night (2017)

Juno is one of my favorite coming of age flicks in recent years. Hope you enjoy Deadpool 2, I had such a blast. Will probably watch Cargo tonight, and It Comes at Night is a great tension builder.

Deadpool 2 (2018)

(83%)
Director: David Leitch
Writers: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin
Production Company: Twentieth Century Fox

My expectations for Deadpool 2 started out fairly modest because I wasn't sure if it could live up to how fun and unexpectedly good the first one was, but as more and more of my friends saw it my expectations started to rise. And, I had a great time watching it. I do think that the first one is better, but overall I think I may have enjoyed this one more. It's kind of weird.

Story: The story of the Deadpool 2 is definitely more complex than the first one (although it does essentially boil down to "Guy from future wants to kill kid, Deadpool no like that"), and as a result I did find myself more invested in it than the first one. It seemed a bit more serious and the stakes did seem higher. It really is a paint by numbers superhero story, but it completely works for Deadpool 2 because you could almost look at it as part of the joke that is Deadpool. He likes to take shots at superhero stuff, but he happens to be in a movie that follows the standard superhero formula. A big thing that didn't work for me story wise, and a big reason why I think that the first one is a tiny bit better, is that the kid who Deadpool wants to protect is straight up not likable. I didn't like his character, wasn't super impressed by the kid portraying the character, and honestly was quite annoyed by him any time he was on screen.

Humor: This is where it gets weird. I found Deadpool 2 to be funnier than Deadpool, but I feel like Deadpool 2 overcooks it a bit with the comedy. There was a point in the movie where it felt like it was just constantly pelting me with jokes, and not all of them landed. So while I found it incredibly funny overall, I think it could have benefited from toning down the number of jokes by just a smidge.

Acting: Ryan Reynolds is Deadpool. That's all that really needs to be said.

Overall: Deadpool 2 is a solid movie and a worthy sequel to Deadpool, although it may not be quite as good.

Star Wars: Solo (2018)

(79%)
Director: Ron Howard
Writers: Jonathan Kasdan, Lawrence Kasdan
Stars: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke
Production Company: LucasFilm

It's no secret that the production of Solo was quite...troubled. There was a time where it seemed like the general expectation was for it to absolutely suck, and to be honest I expected it to be pretty bad as well. But, it was just fine. Great? No, but this was a solid movie for the summer season and it may be the most Star Wars-like movie of the Disney-era thus far.

Story: The story of Solo doesn't add much to the world of Star Wars other than giving us a little bit of background on Han and revealing how he gets involved with Jabba before A New Hope. It's very contained within itself, which is probably a good thing because not every spin-off has to be filled with connections to the main films. Anyway, the story follows a younger Han as he goes from being a street rat to a scoundrel. There's a lot of fun to be had, and it really does feel like a Star Wars movie. There are a few issues with pacing, but I didn't find any parts of the movie particularly boring like some other people did.

Script: I'm not exactly sure how this was once labeled as "one of the best Star Wars scripts", because there wasn't anything particularly great about the script. Of course, I don't know what the first draft looked like, but nothing from the production script really stuck out to me as better than any other Star Wars script. There was also a lot of humor in Solo that fell incredibly flat with the audience I saw it with. Even when I laughed, it seemed like no one else did. And, actually, the entire audience didn't seem as into it as they usually are for Star Wars movies. It was weird.

Acting: Alden Ehrenreich was very solid as Han Solo. I bought into him being Han within the first few minutes. Donald Glover is also really good as Lando, and I honestly feel like he was one of the best parts of the movie. Everyone else does good as well, but I really, really couldn't stand L3. She just came off as a K-2SO wannabe and I feel like they felt obligated to have another "woke" droid play the comedic relief. It didn't work for me.

Cinematography: As with all of the new generation Star Wars movies, Solo has great cinematography. Everything looks awesome, and I really liked the gritty look they went for with some of the locations/settings.

Overall: Solo is a fun Star Wars movie. It may be the "worst" out of the Disney-era films, but it definitely doesn't suck.

My Top-10 Star Wars Films (As of May 2018):

1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. A New Hope
3. The Force Awakens
4. Revenge of the Sith
5. The Last Jedi
6. Return of the Jedi
7. Rogue One
8. Solo
9. The Phantom Menace
10. Attack of the Clones

By the way, I rank my favorite movie lists based off of enjoyability, not rating.