judealexharnett Reviews

Amsterdam (2022)

Twas a bit silly.

[6/10 · 11 May 2024]

This movie was absolutely rambunctious. All the elements for a classic were there but it just fumbled the bag. It had what might be one of the best casts in recent years, coupled with what seemed to be an interesting premise was a good idea, but it's execution was abysmal.

The acting was alright but none of the actors were on their A game, and we got what might be one of the worst margot robbie preformances ever, it was ridiculously wooden. This movie might have been too fast paces for it own good because the pacing was all over the place. It didn't give enough time to anything really, to its characters, or even the actual story itself. Everything kinda whizzed by. And for a murder mystery the reveal kinda had me going meh, I vaguely remember this guy. 6/10.

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

his first is one of his best

[8/10 · 9 May 2024]

Can't believe this is tarantinos directorial debut because its actually really good. Much better than some of his later films. It really feels like a tarantino version. It was brilliantly written. Every character in this film was unique and I wouldn't say any of them were distinctly dislikable.

The idea for the movie as a whole was brilliant too and despite practically being a one location film for the most part and being over an hour and a half this movie didn't drag at all or feel it was being stretched out. The ending was actually really unpredictability as well but I can't figure out how nice guy Eddie got shot.

Unfrosted (2024)

what's this guy on

[2/10 · 7 May 2024]

There Is a ridiculous amount wrong with this movie. That's not to say everything was bad about this movie. Hugh grant was pretty great and occasionally the humour wasn't mind numbingly awful. That's about it. What on earth was Jerry Seinfeld thinking with this one.

The recent resurgence of movies about brands and companies isn't necessarily a bad thing but when they're made they're usually made to tell a story, like in air which is all about perseverance. So what on earth was this guy thinking when he said let's not only make a true story movie(does this even count as one) but let's make it a comedy. Wasn't even remotely funny!!! Awfully written and despicably paced. AND I DONT EVEN KNOW HOW THE POP TART WAS MADE. 2/10.

Out of the Furnace (2013)

TThis was horribly mediocre

[5/10 · 7 May 2024]

I really don't know how to explain this but if anything this whole movie just felt kind of unnecessary for the most part. The first half of this movie was if anything slightly above average. The movie itself was interesting enough and throughout the whole movie Christian bale was phenomenal.

While the first half was great I did find it kind of slow burning but at times it had my attention. But almost immediately after the hour mark it completely fell apart. Whoever woody harrelson was, they were ridiculously underdeveloped and had a despicable ending. The movies ending as a whole kind of felt like what should have been 45 minutes crammed into 15. Anytime i considered ranking it higher its shortcomings Brought it right back down 5/10.

The Fall Guy (2024)

it was certainly entertaining

[8/10 · 7 May 2024]

I really enjoyed this movie as much as I expected too. Ryan gosling was the absolute star of this film and without him it would have been so much worse. He brought the charisma and the charm to a film that desperately needed it. And obviously the stunts are phenomenal. All the action and stunts are done so well and it's shout out to stuntman that Hollywood really needs.

However this film comes with flaws as well. The chemistry between Ryan gosling and Emily blunt if almost non existent and honestly didn't really fit into the movie. On top of that there were times when the dialogue didn't fit into the film at all and was laughably bad. Overall it was definitely entertaining. 8/10.

Challengers (2024)

This movie got me pumped up.

[10/10 · 4 May 2024]

This movie was one of my weirdest cinema experiences to date because it took ages for the movie to start and when it did it had no sound. But when it did oh my god this movie was brilliant and I ain't even a big tennis guy. My only criticism is that sometimes it's non linear storytelling was a bit confusing but that's just me.

Everything else about this film was brilliant. All its romantic elements flowed naturally and all of them added to the movie in some way. Every character was absolutely brilliant. They all were brilliantly written. Easily a career topping preformance for zendaya. The music was one of the best parts of this movie and had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The ending was brilliant and to some extent is left up to interpretation which is pretty great. Plus zendaya is super duper extremely really really hot. 10/10.

Aliens (1986)

Thank god for james cameron

[9/10 · 4 May 2024]

The first alien movie was good. It was nothing special and certainly wasn't as good as people said it was. This movie however, blew the first one out of the water. It one ups its predecessor in practically every possible way.

Sigourney weaver was a much better, and more developed main character and as a result felt so much more likable then in the previous one. Also the side cast in this movie felt like real characters meaning you could get more attached to them and also that their deaths felt more meaningful. And while this movie is more action based and almost completely cast off the horror aspect of the previous one, I would say it was more scary and intense. 9/10.

Love Lies Bleeding (2024)

its nothing special

[6/10 · 3 May 2024]

I didn't have too much expectations for this movie so it isn't fair to say it didn't meet them but this movie was unremarkably mediocore. The story is certainly engaging for the most part but I can't say I was on the edge of my seat. Its pretty well shot for the most part but no shots had me in awe.

Now to be fair I believe that the best part of this movie was Katy O'brien. She was absolutely brilliant. Kristen Stewart was definitely good but it wasn't special. And call me a spoilsport but I really wasn't a fan of the ending. Like for the most part this movie is pretty understandable and realistic but the ending honestly made no sense and I can't say it positively impacted the story. 6.5/10.

Rain Man (1988)

deserved all it got

[9/10 · 2 May 2024]

Man this movie had me super emotional. It could really go from being funny to being extremely sad in a matter of minutes. This movie definitely deserved everything it won. Both Tom cruise and Dustin Hoffman were brilliant as they're respective characters, easily one of Tom cruises best preformances to date.

This movie is extremely well written as well. The two main characters both feel real and work really well with each other. Some of my favourite scenes in this movie are the ones that show tom cruise slowly becoming a nicer person and showing kind actions to his brother. Some of the best character development I've seen in a movie in a while. 9.2/10.

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Pretty interesting movie

[8/10 · 1 May 2024]

This was certainly interesting movie. From the coen brothers movies that I've seen so far this isn't the type of movie that I was expecting from them but it was certainly a welcome surprise. It was incredibly well shot especially in what felt like such an uninspiring setting.

Easily Oscar Isaac carried this movie on his back, Llewyn Davis felt like such an awful character in the sense that you can't help but dislike him, and while I certainly dislike him, due to Oscar isaac's phenomenal portrayal i really couldn't help but root for him. And honestly who knew Oscar Isaac had such a great voice. 8.8/10.

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)

worse than the first

[6/10 · 28 April 2024]

None of the Maze runner movies are A-maze-ing (hehehehe) but this one was worse than the first by a good bit. It's been years since I read the book but from what I remember this was absolutely nothing like it. But even the books weren't that great when it came to after the first one.

The plot felt really lazy and didn't feel anything like the original movie that always had you on the edge. This one was really slow paced and extremely predictable. And half the characters are either dislikable or extremely irrelevant and tbh most of them are so poorly written. That being said giancarlo esposito was pretty cool. 6.2/10.

Monkey Man (2024)

Great directorial debut

[7/10 · 28 April 2024]

This movie was really good, brilliant for a directorial debut. It was a brilliant revenge story, it was gritty and dark. This movie genuinely deserves to win some award for cinematography because its beautifully shot and every single fight scene is amazingly choreographed.

That being said this movie honestly kind of lost me in the second half. There's a great story being told here and it's mostly told in the first half. Personally I didn't feel as if there was two hours worth of content in this film and it felt really stretched out and a little bit directionless for the second part of the film. 7.5/10.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

hate how much I love this film

[7/10 · 27 April 2024]

I've such conflicting feelings about this film. I know a lot of people hate it but I really enjoyed it tbh. It has a bunch of positives. Dr strange is arguably one of the coolest superheroes there is. Sam raimi's dark and horror like undertone works really well but it felt like they were too afraid to really lean into it. And wong is the goat.

But it definitely wasn't perfect. The plot was really all over the place and half the time this movie didn't know where it was going. My biggest issue is without a doubt the illumi-whati. Supposed to be an all powerful group but man they got killed off instantly. Reed Richards "the world's smartest man" goes against a powerful witch with no plan? I don't think so. 7.1/10.

Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

I really liked this film

[8/10 · 27 April 2024]

I really did like this film but to be fair I can definitely see why a lot of people don't. I'm a really big Jamie foxx fan so I really only watched this for him but I do enjoy this type of film. The script was pretty good in my opinion even if the plot wasn't.

I'd say the biggest issue with this movie was the absolutely ludicrous plot. It borderline made no sense. Whole I do think Gerald Butler was a good antagonist his whole plan was ridiculous. I know he was made out to be super duper smart and all that but viola Davis was right. There's absolutely no way this guy could be murdering people from a jail cell. 8.5/10.

Michael Clayton (2007)

great film kinda slow

[9/10 · 27 April 2024]

I don't know if My rating Is 100 percent fair because when I watched this movie I was extremely tired so for like the first half an hour I wasn't fully aware of what was going on. Eventually though I started paying attention and this movie was actually great.

The preformances in this movie were brilliant, tilda Swinton deserved the oscar and George Clooney honestly deserved one as well. This movie has one of the best scripts I've seen in a while. Michael Clayton is such a well written character. George clooneys portrayal of him as a man who's only driving force is his hatred for himself is brilliant. Was this movie kind of slow at times? It definetly was but i wouldnt say it took away that much from the movie. 9.1/10.

Alien (1979)

Good but not that good

[8/10 · 22 April 2024]

I thoroughly enjoyed Alien. I did. But I didn't enjoy it as much as everyone else seems to. To be fair it took me 4 times to watch this movie. I found the first hour or so to be extremely uninteresting and really struggled to watch it. After that though, it got really good.

There were so many great things about this movie. The acting was really good, the atmosphere was pretty scary and there were very few jumpscares. The practical effects were really good. The whole premise was pretty good even though it was extremely predictable. Like at no point in this movie did I not know what was coming. Would be better if it had Rebecca ferguson, Ryan Reynolds and jake gylenhaal. 8/10.

The Maze Runner (2014)

Not quite as good as I remembered

[7/10 · 21 April 2024]

I watched this movie years ago and on rewatching it wasn't quite as good as I remembered. The execution of this movie wasn't as good as it had the potential to be but I also believe that this movie is particular was vastly superior to its novel counterpart.

The book was filled with gaping plotholes and poor writing for the most part and while it still exists here it wasn't as bad. The story as a whole was extremely interesting and entertaining for the most part. Can't say any of the comedy was too funny but the writing was laughable at time. That being said I had a good time whole watching it. 7/10.

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)

No this was not good.

[1/10 · 19 April 2024]

I despise zach snyder. I despised the first rebel moon, however I thought maybe since the spent a whole two hour movie setting up for the next one, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and maybe it will be worth watching. It was one of the worst pieces of fiction I've ever consumed. Credit where its due some of the scenes were cool looking but i was so uninterest I didn't really care.

No hate to the actors because they were all brilliant but the characters in this film were despicable. They were all diabolical. Literally all the development we get on the characters is a conversation where each character takes turns explaining their backstories. Can you get any lazier than that???? As a result whenever there was a character death I didn't really care because I'd literally no idea who the character was.

One of the worst 2 hours ever. The whole plot is an incoherent mess with stupid little cuts that don't make sense. NO ONE WANTS THE SNYDER CUT FOR REBEL MOON. As soon as the extended editions come out (if you're gonna release a film and be like it'll get good when the extended edition comes out ur either high or really stupid) I'm gonna trash them too. Literally the whole movie was preparation for a stupid battle scene. Might be the least progressive action movie to ever exist. 0.1/10.

The Thing (1982)

Brilliant

[10/10 · 17 April 2024]

I am a really big hater of horror movies because usually they use semi scary jumpscares and an eerieish atmosphere to distract from poor writing but this one was brilliant. Everything about this was exactly what you would want a horror movie to be.

I don't think there was a single jumpscare in this film yet it was borderline terrifying. The entire atmosphere of the movie was really chilling and made it feel like there was something out of place. The special effects in this film were crazy good. Goes to show the best horror movies can be made without silly looking cgi monsters. The ending took me by surprise. It felt like a suitable conclusion even though it didnt 100 percent wrap things up. 10/10.

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Its alright I guess

[7/10 · 17 April 2024]

Another tarantino movie that's horrifically overrated, who could've guessed. I do have mixed feelings on this film. First off, one of yhe main reasons I dislike this film is because I despise the main character. It's crazy how in a story where everyone seems pretty well developed the main character is extremely shallow and one dimensional.

Uma thurman is alright but she isn't brilliant or anything like that. Even the story itself was kind of mediocre. That being said, it's execution was phenomenal. This movie did manage to keep me engaged only through it's phenomenal camera work and extremely well choreographed action scene. While I believe this movie lacks in the writing sector, it makes up in the badass sector. 7/10.

Civil War (2024)

By no means cowardly

[8/10 · 14 April 2024]

As opposed to what people may say this movie wasn't even remotely cowardly. Oftentimes when a movie doesn't pick a side its in an effort to appease one or both sides of its demographic. It doesn't shy away from some of the horrors of war yet its not entirely violence based. Its visuals are without a doubt incredibly striking. So many scenes here were breathtakingly horrifying.

Now I fully believe that as good as this movie was it could have been much better.(spoilers onwards). Jesse and Lee had great parallels, Jesse as someone eager to jump into the horrors of war while Lee, someone who was tired of war. Lee as a character was an interesting character and often you don't see the effect of war on war photographers. However as a character at times she felt kind of bland and her conclusion was kind of unsatisfactory.

However the whole "Would you take a picture of me If I died" was great but I still believe Lees death could have been avoided. Also I believe another half an hour of this movie could have made it brilliant. I think too much of this movies story went unexplained and I don't think it was enough to simply throw "politics" into the air. Still a phenomenal movie. 8.7/10.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Best one so far

[9/10 · 13 April 2024]

This movie was without a doubt the best indiana jones movie so far and might even be one of the best adventure movies of all time. Every single problem I had with the second movie was literally squashed. Arguably the best thing about this movie was that it was fun and didn't really take itself as serious as the last one.

It was a fun movie to watch but was also able to be really written. I did predict the Donovan twist but I didn't predict the Dr schneider one. And also it was great to have a female character that didn't just scream and shout. Indiana jones felt like a real person in this movie as opposed to the last one. He also had a really good dynamic with his father. Might rewatch again tbh. 9.7/10.

Before Sunrise (1995)

Wasn't all that

[7/10 · 10 April 2024]

This movie was good, but I can't say it was that great only good. And I can kind of see why people like this movie but I found it to be incredibly overrated. Ethan hawke and Julie delphy were both pretty good and both their characters were pretty enjoyable to be fair.

Personally I couldn't get into this movie. It was really well written and some of the things that they discussed were pretty interesting but then some of it felt like drawl being used to fill time. The two main characters dynamic was interesting and I was quite surprised that they ended up together because they seemed to be polar opposites. Good movie but nothing special. 7.5/10.

Magnolia (1999)

One strange movie

[9/10 · 8 April 2024]

Paul Thomas anderon's Magnolia is certainly a strange sort of film. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. Anderson's ability to write a story following numerous characters but to write then really well is extremely impressive. I do personally believe that there were one or two characters that deserved a bit more screen time, but I also don't believe the movie should have been longer so what can you do.

I also really loved the preformances in this film. Tom cruise is phenomenal, once again cementing that he's not just a generic action stat but John C reilly really surprised me. Turns out he's not just a stereotypical bad comedy actor and can act really well. The movie explores the themes of forgiveness in so many ways that I probably already forget some. The ending certainly took me by surprise. It definitely was really good but that's not to say it couldn't have been better. 9.1/10.

Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Lars just like me

[8/10 · 8 April 2024]

I honestly procrastinated watching this film for a while because I was a bit put off by it's synopsis. But I'd say I was pleasantly surprised. It actually was a really good feel good film for the most part. Ryan gosling was alright, wasn't a career topping preformance but it wasnt too bad.

I cant give this movie any higher though because for the first half of this movie the second hand embarrassment I felt for so long was ridiculous. I paused and unpaused so much. But once I really got into it, it flew by. It was really well written and definitely put a bit of a unique twist on the themes of loneliness and love. 8/10.