2018 Movie Releases - Luis' Reviews/Thoughts

I've made it very clear, annoyingly clear even, that the original 2004 film is not only my favorite Pixar film, but my second favorite film of all time, so the excitement I had going in was basically indescribable. I was flabbergasted by the fact that it even lived up to my expectations. Brad Bird understands that the first film is so fantastic because it manages to disguise a superhero film as a family drama, and this new entry excels on that front as well. If you're looking for themes as hard-hitting as the first Incredibles film, you're not going to get that; this next chapter replaces the dramatic undertones with ones that are more heartwarming, and it feels all the more appropriate as these characters did solve their challenges they faced in the former film.

The sequel doesn't backpedal on anything established in the first movie, it builds on it, which just solidifies this as the first great Pixar sequel since Toy Story 3; because films like Cars 2 and FInding Dory degrade any character development their predecessor established, and it was so frustrating. The action sequences in this sequel were absolutely fantastic, and so much fun to watch, the filmmakers get stupidly creative with these powers, it sort of puts the other recent superhero films to shame in that regard. The B plotline with Mr. Incredible stepping up as "Mr. Dad" was surprisingly very compelling; it's heartwarming, it's hilarious, and it is were you find most of the character development, which was so appropriate. I laughed so hard, I was constantly in the edge of my seat, and it's a film that will make you smile throughout its entirety. My only issue is the villain, not a bad villain per-se, but the writing around him/her was a bit lackluster, but given that the narrative is very much about the family, it doesn't fracture the film too much. Overall, a sequel that lives up to the original, which is so surprising for me to say.

SCORE - 95/100

Glad to hear that you liked Hereditary and basically loved Incredibles 2. I'm dying to see it, but I have to wait until my parents have time to go see it with me. :P

__________________
My Letterboxd

Oh I loved both! Such a powerful week at theater for me, I feel like if the movie theater experience was a pokemon it leveled up lol. Can't wait to see your review for Incredibles 2 once you see it.

With so many great horror fIlms, we have to get a couple of bad ones sprinkled here and there right? Keeping the playing field balanced yo. Definitely not as atrocious as Winchester because unlike that film, the badness is at least entertaining. The characters kind of kept this entertaining, most of them are unlikable. The protagonist played by Lucy Hale was very likable though, but she had an IQ lower than the body count so I couldn't get behind her either. I was sort of entertained by the kind of dares and truths the characters had to realize, if anything this played out more like a comedy. The film really was not scary whatsoever, and the whole reasoning behind the horrors was kind of dumb. I will not give this a terrible score because I was never really bored, and Lucy Hale did make the film more watchable, but as far as horror films go, there are a handful much better than this one, all of which came out this year.

SCORE - 40/100

Good job on your review thread I just looked through it for some 2018 movies to watch. I didn't find any, but that's only because we have different taste. I liked the way you did the write-ups for each film, clear, precise and easy to follow

Thank you so much for reading through and your positive comments, means a lot coming from you! Blessings!

Well.. at least it was an entertaining blockbuster...right? Quite frankly this is a wildly disappointing ride from a director as consistent as Bayona; not only did he direct one of the most gripping horror films of the 2000s with The Orphanage, but just last year, A Monster Calls was a beautiful film about loss and imagination. Not to say that this film is terrible, there are some positives to find here. For example, its ability to entertain, admittedly, I don't know if everybody will be entertained, but at least I was, even in those slow, politically bathed stretched out conversations that took place every 5 minutes. There are also some beautiful looking shots like the one depicted above, it's a beautiful film to look at. The characters are pretty frustrating, but the movie-star charisma and power that Chris Pratt has did elevate the film a bit.

Now, for Jurassic Park film, everything is just so understated, and when everything gets cranked up to eleven, and it all just turns big and explosive, it just ended up becoming visual noise. Remember watching Jurassic Park and being floored by the dinosaur reveals and being thrilled with some action sequences with real tension? Yeah? Well there's none of that in here. Hell, even the first Jurassic World film found a way to make the nuance refreshing and somewhat fun. This one lacks the thrills and the substance from any of the better Jurassic movies. The main plot involves some rich, power-hungry, and record-breaking dumb people who want to sell the dinosaurs to richer and dumber people, and it played out so stupidly, it's like it was written by a 12 year old screenwriter. Overall, the term: "turn off your brain and shove some popcorn in your face" has not rang truer so far this year than the Jurassic World sequel. It's badly written, has some annoying characters, and lacks any true thrills that one would hope from a "Dinosaur killing people" movie. But, it was very entertaining, has some nice chase sequences, and some ridiculous moments that really made me laugh. Oh yeah, and it has Chris Pratt. One final note, the ending for this filler chapter does tease a third film with a fantastic premise, something that anybody would want to see from a dinosaur film, can't wait to see it.

SCORE - 50/100

I won't be able to see Fallen Kingdom for a week or two (about to go on a work trip/vacation, and today I'm seeing Tag), but your review just further cemented what I expect from it: entertainment, but that's about it.

Yeah definitely don't go into JW2 with high expectations and you'll probably enjoy yourself.

This is inevitably going to be one of this year's most overlooked/under-watched films. But y'all for real, if you have a chance to see this, please do so, it's seriously good. A24 continues to stand out as the independent studio to keep tabs on as they deliver another masterful film that is arguably also their best one. If it's actually the best for me I'm not sure, I'm very much in love with other films like Lady Bird, but this has got to be in the Top three.

The film tells the story of a semi-poor, yet lovable and content teenager who gets a summer job involving a horse, don't let the simple plot distract you though, as this film beautifully captures the essence of someone being forced to grow up following difficult circumstances, it's exponentially resonant. The narrative takes some deeply emotional twists and turns, and the protagonist is just so likable, that you basically suffer with him, not going to lie, I was legit crying by the end of this film; not tearing up, not sad, full-on crying. Charlie Plummer delivers an absolutely fantastic performance, he is basically now at the top of my radar when it comes to promising young talent. The film normalizes tragedy in such a hard-hitting way, and it displays themes about how life could totally turn you on your head at any moment, regardless of how blessed you think you are. Forreal, if you guys want to watch a deeply human story about life and loss, please give this one a shot, it truly deserves one. I'm always hesitant on giving films a perfect score on the first watch, but even so, I think I have seen the first film released in 2018 that I would call a "masterpiece"

SCORE - 97/100

31. Sicario: Day of the Soldado

Well.. Definitely not nearly as strong as that first film, and given how flabbergasted the trailers left me, I walked out very dissapointed. Some of this film actually takes place in the city I live in, and while it was blatantly obvious that it wasn't shot there, seeing the name: "McAllen" fade into the screen was a little mind-blowing. (Side note: my city is actually very nice and clean, it looks nothing like how it was depicted in the film lol)

I think the main two problems in this film that were actually highlights in the first film were the characters, and the messiness of the story. The characters never really get to a place were they become interesting or likable enough to root for them. I get that these characters are ambiguous and are into some shady stuff, but at least the first film made me care just enough for Del Toro's character to be intrigued about what he will do next. The story in this one is also a bit messy, we have a few plot-lines, which admittedly are all very interesting, but they were never really linked together as seamlessly as it should have, and often times I was be like: "Oh, yeah, I forgot that was going on". I know I'm mostly focusing on the negatives, I don't think this is a bad film, I was just dissapointed. There is still plenty of entertainment to be had here, and the film still offers some very nice sequences.

SCORE - 58/100

One of the most daring films of the year, the narrative is essentially a drama and it manages to blend comedy and horror to a very unique undertones that made this feel very refreshing. Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke both pull fantastic performances and play so well off each other, the film carries some of the best character interactions I've seen all year, every line of dialogue these two actresses deliver to each-other is the best thing about this film, it has the ability to entertain just through these interactions, I didn't stare at my watch once during this one. The sequences that did not involve these two actresses together weren't really as engaging, but the turn of events was ultimately bonkers, which I enjoyed. Overall one of the more enjoyable and unique experiences to be had this year, even i fit's not as memorable later on.

SCORE - 73/100

Everyone else watching 2018 films galore and I'm here like only seeing 6 films this year

Bummer that you didn't like Day of the Soldado more, but I definitely understand your criticisms of it.

Lol! I at least hope you've liked the ones you've seen. Do you?

I really wanted to like it too. Hope you get to watch some of the films I've loved like Lean on Pete, would love to get someone else's perspective. Going again tomorrow, which one should I watch, Ocean's 8 or Tag?

Tag...No question.

Wow amazingly great

Thank you!

This is the first purge movie I've seen, there was always just such a stigma around the franchise I never bothered to hop on the train.That being said, I always thought the concept was appropriately arresting, but the trailers didn't make the film seem like it was executing it intelligently. Given what I just said, I was actually surprised that I liked this film as much as I did. Still a film that'll be far from my favorites of the year, but overall I thought this particular purge film was decently executed.

First things first, it's fun, with horror/slasher flicks like this, there's got to be fun, and there were some nice thrilling moments sprinkled here and there. The characters were actually very likable, (I know right?!?) the film centers around this brother/sister duo who live in a low-income area of Rhode Island, and I bought into their relationship. The film also does some thought-provoking things with its concept, particularly involving the inner-workings of the government. The final 15-ish minutes have a very good confined action scene in an apartment building that I really enjoyed. Some themes, especially the socially inclined ones, were a bit heavy handed though, something the Purge franchise is known for I'm sure. I was just like: "Ok, we get it racism is bad, sexism is bad, homophobia is bad, ignorance is bad" I wish the film would've been more subtle in that aspect. Overall, not a "must-watch" film of 2018, but if you want a tight slasher flick with a nice concept, some good characters, that is both fun, and entertaining, this is the best choice right now.

SCORE - 75/100