Ellimof Reviews

Dune: Part Two (2024)

WOW! I need Dune Messiah now.

[10/10 · 26 February 2024]

If you liked or loved the first one, the same will apply for this one. Personally, I loved this one even more and I think general audiences will as well. So I hope it does well at the box office because I need Dune Messiah now. This is everything I love about going to the movies. Also, Hans Zimmer.

For book readers, I'd say this one takes more liberties than the first, but they were changes I liked, some for the better even. For the most part, it still hits the main beats from the book with a few things altered. The biggest change being no time jump. Therefore, a certain character doesn't fully appear in the movie contrary to the book. Though, they still use the character in a different way that I liked personally.

I know it's early in the year, but you can lock some Oscar nominations for this movie: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Score, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Costume, Best Production Design, Best Makeup, and hopefully Rebecca Ferguson this time for Best Supporting Actress. I guess that's pretty much every category now that I've typed it out lol.

The Creator (2023)

Good to Great Sci-Fi

[8/10 · 29 September 2023]

First, I'm going to say I would not be surprised if an extended cut of this movie comes out on Blu Ray. I could feel pieces missing and perhaps violence toned down for a shorter PG-13 rating.

With that being said, I respect the heck out of what this movie was able to do with half the budget of other movies. Not to mention it's an original IP that feels large scale. Definitely one of the better Sci-Fi films of the last decade.

Pros:

-Visual Effects

-Music

-Cinematography

-Directing

-Acting

Cons:

-The pacing was a bit off and there's some clunky film editing, which leads to some unearned emotion at times.

-Script is a little predictable.

Ahsoka: Part Five: Shadow Warrior (2023) Season 1, Episode 5

Soulfully Great Star Wars

[10/10 · 13 September 2023]

This episode does so many things right and is Star Wars in its purest form. I know there will be some that will criticize others hype for this episode because of the nostalgia or "fan service" associated with this episode, but it is so much more than that.

First, I'll address the nostalgia associated with this episode. Having Anakin show up and seeing the Clone Wars was certainly great and an awesome moment for fans, but there is great writing and storytelling behind these moments. They serve a purpose which I'll elaborate on.

The story and character development of Ahsoka shines so much. The episode confronts Ahsoka's character and how she has "lived" her life and the attitude she has towards everything since she left the Jedi Order in the Clone Wars. Ahsoka was never the same, she became more hardened and there is a detachment to her. So when Anakin asked her whether she wants to live or die, it's whether she wants to live her life despite the uncertainty of the future, or continue to hold on to the guilt of the past afraid for what the future holds. Anakin serves as both the teacher and her inner demons as she fights him. Anakin himself is the biggest guilt she holds onto. To her, he's the embodiment of both her past failures and a cautionary tale of her future. At the end of the fight, she is faced with the decision to strike him down, her eyes turn Sith yellow and all the anger of her past builds to this, but she chooses to let go and spare him. While it's played as mercy to Anakin, it's essentially mercy to herself. She's ready to move on and now has a reason to live. All of this is wrapped up beautifully in Star Wars lightsaber fights and Clone Wars flashbacks, but it's serving the character and story ultimately. On the lore side, it seems that through the force, Anakin as a ghost visited Ahsoka in a dream-like state to give her this lesson by revisiting past memories of hers to allow her to move on. It's great closure for Ahsoka about Anakin which then births Ahsoka "The White" who now wants to live. Despite her and Anakin's complicated past, they are both more than their biggest failures. One can always start new or in this case, "live".

Finally, all of this leads me to what truly makes this episode perfect Star Wars. The lesson in the show for Ahsoka is not only for her but also the audience. The question to live or die does speak for actually living but also the way you live your life. For those that are struggling in their lives and may feel complacent or perhaps even losing the will to live. Whether this is trauma of the past or fear of the future, everything will be okay. You can't change the past or control what happens in the future, but you can control what you "fight" today. Life isn't easy and sometimes you will fail, that's okay too, you keep fighting. Once one doesn't let the weight of the past drag them down and knows they can only do what they can now, and put trust that the universe will take care of the rest down the road, everything will be alright. This episode was a moral lesson which is what Star Wars has always been.

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

Christopher Nolan is in a league of his own.

[9/10 · 22 July 2023]

The only thing keeping this movie from a perfect 10 for me is just personal taste. I'll always prefer a Nolan original story than an adapted true story. With that being said, Nolan made this movie as engaging and thrilling as any biographical movie could possibly be. Every element of this film is just top notch filmmaking. I can't really imagine any other movie releasing this year coming close to it, and I expect it to near sweep come award season.

Even if you have no interest in this story and find a movie about J. Robert Oppenheimer to be boring, you'll still leave this movie feeling you just witnessed a creator at the top of his game. Not to mention, the gut punch the movie makes with its commentary on the past, present, and future of what nuclear technology is to the world we live in.

Babylon (I) (2022)

The most a Movie has ever Movie'd

[8/10 · 24 December 2022]

You will either love this movie or absolutely hate it. It's unapologetically bombastic and at times obnoxious. With that being said, it's very charming and beautiful thanks to Damien Chazelle's directing. One moment you are watching a grotesque over the top scene that makes you question the movie itself, then the next moment, a beautiful scene accompanied by a stunning score. This movie definitely shows the the vulgar and nasty side of the movie business during this time period, but it also has a lot of heart and shows the beauty of film itself. I think if you love movies and the escapism it provides along with the evolution of the film industry, this movie is for you.

Comparison: -A more heartfelt Boogie Nights

Standouts: -Score -Directing -Cinematography -Acting -Production Design

Drawbacks: -Overstuffed Plot.

Uncharted (2022)

Fun Movie To Eat Popcorn To - 6.5/10

[7/10 · 20 February 2022]

A fun movie to just turn off your brain and have a good time. It doesn't break any new ground, but it hits all of its marks and gets the job done. After the movie ended, I found myself in a better mood than I was before I saw the movie. That's all I can really ask for I guess. I think most audience members will enjoy it, and it shows promise for a nice franchise if it is green lit for a sequel.

As a huge fan of the Uncharted games and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves being my favorite video game of all time, it was a bit disappointing to see the movie's take on Nathan Drake and Sully (especially Sully). It's far from their video game counterparts, but they are still enjoyable on their own. You just have to go into the movie accepting that this is a different version of those characters. With that being said, there are a few moments from them, Nathan Drake particularly, that resembles the games. As a whole, I'd say it's one of the best video game movie adaptations yet, even if that isn't saying much. Give the sequel a tighter script and they have something here with these characters.

The Book of Boba Fett: Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger (2022) Season 1, Episode 6

*The Book of Star Wars

[10/10 · 2 February 2022]

Well this show is on a streak of 2 all time Star Wars TV episodes with today's episode that WAY over-delivers. I can't remember a time in Star Wars where they just kept giving more and more of what fans want to see. Lucasfilm has been known to just tease and tease with the big reveal being short.

The only downside of this episode is that the show is called The Book of Boba Fett and he was in it for maybe 1 minute. Now, there were a few other scenes with some connecting tissue to the plot of the show, but it was mainly just an episode of the broader Star Wars universe and it's lore of the mainstream characters. At this point, they can call the show The Return of Jar Jar Binks and have what today had and I'll be happy. I'll take good content and forget about proper TV show structure any day.

The Book of Boba Fett: Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian (2022) Season 1, Episode 5

*Chef's Kiss*

[10/10 · 26 January 2022]

While the show is called The Book of Boba Fett, this was Mandalorian Season 3: Prologue.

From the action piece in the beginning to the moment the credits rolled, I found myself smiling the whole time. We got great world building with more backstory on Mandalore to Din Djarin's fate with the Children of the Watch after the Season 2 finale. The aesthetic of this episode was great, which at times during the Book of Boba Fett has felt off. I really liked that station Mando was on. It just shows how cool Star Wars can be with just Mando doing Mando things in the broader galaxy as a whole. There's some cool Easter eggs and call backs in this episode that might seem like too much fan service to some, but it worked for me. My only complaint is that Amy Sedaris' character still bothers me a little bit as she did in The Mandalorian. She's just a little too quirky for Star Wars in my opinion. Though, she has grown a little on me, I will admit.

Also, Bryce Dallas Howard is a great director. From this episode and her Season 2 episode in The Mandalorian, she's knocking it out of the park. I can't wait to see her do more episodes in the future.

This episode is just a reminder how great of a character Din Djarin (Mando) is and how Lucasfilm has managed to make him cooler than Boba Fett ever was.

The Book of Boba Fett: Chapter 3: The Streets of Mos Espa (2022) Season 1, Episode 3

Poorly Executed - Robert Rodriguez is a bad fit

[6/10 · 12 January 2022]

After a great episode last week, The Book of Boba Fett took a step back this week. For me, it is mainly because Robert Rodriguez is back in the director's chair.

My main complaint is how bad the action was done in this episode. The fight with Black Krrsantan was awkward and slow. He was so intimidating in the last episode, but comes across as a guy in a monkey suit fighting a bunch of teenagers in this episode. Then comes the biker chase scene later in the episode which comes across EXTREMELY slow. Maybe the slowest high speed chase in tv history haha. These issues fall on bad direction and poor editing by the director.

Besides the bad action, there is just awkward pacing which I felt in the last Robert Rodriguez episode. So far, I'm not impressed with him. His style comes across as amateur and fan made. Then there's just some weird character choices like Boba smiling while petting a rancor and talking to it like a puppy. That just doesn't feel very Boba Fett. The biker gang as a whole has a weird aesthetic, and seem unnecessary at the moment.

These issues I mentioned just take me out of the world and don't bring the immersive experience that Star Wars usually is. From a story aspect, not much is happening so far in this show, and episodes like this make it really drag. Thankfully, I believe this is the last episode directed by Robert Rodriguez for the rest of the season. I'm sure it'll get better, but I just expected better production from a Star Wars show.

Dune (2021)

"Cinema"

[9/10 · 6 November 2021]

I'll keep it short and sweet. This movie is film, a true motion picture, the epitome of art on the screen, what your friend in the coffee shop refers to as "Cinema".

For real though, I have no complaints for Dune. If you are a fan of the book, you will be very happy with the work Denis Villeneuve did. It's incredibly accurate to the source material for the most part, with a few scenes removed and lots of dialogue pulled straight from the book. I hope an extended edition comes out one day on Blu Ray to show some of the cut material from the book that was rumored to be removed.

For those that haven't read the book, it's an immersive experience that is really only half the story. I wouldn't go in expecting tons of action and humor, but an epic world and the beginning of a hero's journey. With that being said, there is some action, but this movie is a slow burn as a setup for the second part that will come out with the true payoff. Think of it as the Fellowship of the Ring and how that left you feeling at the end for the first time.

I suspect this movie to do really well come award season with some Oscar nomination locks for: Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Score, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Costume, and Best Makeup. Also, it very well could get nominated for Best Directing, Best Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Rebecca Ferguson as Best Supporting Actress.

Eternals (2021)

I need an explanation...

[8/10 · 5 November 2021]

After seeing the critic reviews, I was expecting a mixed bag from the movie when I walked in. Though, I'd still give it a chance as I'm a big fan of the MCU. If it's bad, whatever, I didn't care for the Eternals in the comics anyway.

So the movie starts off and during the first 30 minutes or so, I thought there was some pacing issues and I got a little worried that the critics were right, but once the movie settled, I was locked in. I found myself really enjoying the movie. I was then anticipating this moment where the movie falls off the rails to explain the reviews...but that moment never came for me. Actually, I found the movie continuing to get better. The story was growing on me, the characters were growing on me, the action was growing on me. Then the movie ended. I was completely confused what was wrong with the movie. I remember seeing some reviews saying they were bored. So knowing Chloe Zhao as a director, I thought maybe there wasn't much action or humor, but there was plenty of action and humor. The message and stakes of the movie was nice, and I thought it had good emotion to it. Now, I don't think it's a masterpiece, and there was a lot to take in, but I never found myself confused or uninterested. Maybe for the casual movie goer, it's a little too much superhero for them, but so are other MCU movies. I think Eternals might even be more Sci-Fi than most Marvel movies. Either way, the movie is a good time regardless of what critics say.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact this movie is currently in the 50s on Rotten Tomatoes. To put it in perspective, Venom: Let There be Carnage has a 60%...

I really just feel bad for the people that worked on this movie...they should be proud of it instead of seeing so many negative reviews.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)

I'm ashamed...

[4/10 · 4 October 2021]

In simple terms, this movie is bad, like really bad. I didn't like the first movie as I thought it had a weak villain, cliche plot, etc. So I had no plans to see this movie in theaters, but after hearing from some trusted sources and a large census online saying it's better than the first and has a "spectacular" post credit scene, I decided to go. With that being said, I still had low expectations and was hoping to at least be entertained. Unfortunately, as soon as I walked out of the theater, I felt tricked.

It was worse than I could have imagined and still managed to disappoint. It's an extremely weird movie with fast, choppy scene transitions and short run time. Even the elements from the first one I kind of enjoyed like Venom and Eddie's relationship is bad in the sequel. It's like the studio saw that people liked a few jokes from the first movie and tried to make almost every bit of dialogue from Venom and Eddie funny. Honestly, every character from the first movie is worse in this one. The villain might even be worse from the first as Cletus Kasady is extremely cheesy and over the top. Woody Harrelson is a great actor, but he was bad in this. I felt like I was watching a bad 90s/00s comic book movie. I thought after much success over the past decade plus of good comic book movies, these campy comic book movies were long dead...I guess not. It's not even campy in an endearing way, like the whole movie feels cheap and like a product made solely to make money for the studio. Sony must have just looked at the box office numbers of the first and took that as a good job and not at the terrible reviews to try a truly make a better product. Honestly for myself, I feel ashamed I contributed to this movie's box office...

So that pretty much covers the movie itself, but how about that "spectacular" post credit scene... *SPOILERS*

Honestly not much to spoil since this movie is bad, but the post credit scene brings Venom into the MCU. The idea of this scene is cool because everyone wants to see Venom interact with Spider-Man, but I couldn't help but be mad at this because I don't want this Venom to have anything to do with the MCU, even if it is a multiverse sort of thing. If this character was going to be brought into the MCU, Sony should have let Marvel Studios make the movie as they would have at least tried to make a good movie. Too late now though...I'm sure if Venom is in an MCU property, he'll be done way better but you can't undo all of the damage that has been done.

The few Pros that earn the 4/10 rating:

Good Score A couple nice shots Nice visual effects at times.

Game of Thrones (2011–2019)

Still a Great Show (9.5/10)

[10/10 · 24 April 2021]

This show is about as good of television as you can find. With that being said, the ending is rushed and leaves you disappointed.

I'll make it easy for you.

Ratings:

Season 1: 10

Season 2: 10

Season 3: 10

Season 4: 10

Season 5: 9.0

Season 6: 9.5

Season 7: 8.5 (Rushed, but still great episodes)

Season 8: 5/10.

Tenet (2020)

Improves With Time

[9/10 · 3 September 2020]

At this point, when a Christopher Nolan film comes out, it's a must see in theaters. So once again with Tenet, he delivers a completely unique and original story.

Out of all Christoper Nolan's movies, this one is the most "Christopher Nolan". Nolan continues to use time as a driving point of a film. The film starts out running and does not stop, so sit back and just take in what you can. As the film progresses, more and more of the story starts to click in your mind, but you may never fully pick up everything until after it is over.

I personally didn't know how I felt about Tenet once the film finished, but I knew I was extremely engaged. The film has terrific action and a wonderful score by Ludwig Göransson. All of the acting is great, especially by John David Washington and Robert Pattinson. My biggest complaint with the film is the sound mixing in it. There are many moments throughout the movie where the score and sound effects overpower the dialogue, which makes the movie more confusing than it already is. With that being said, it's been almost three days now since I saw it, and I can't stop thinking about the movie.

I feel quite confident that during the release of the film, it will be quite divisive, with some people hating it and others loving it. With time though, I really think this movie will be considered a masterpiece once it's been digested and looked back upon.

Community (2009–2015)

No Other Show Like It

[10/10 · 14 July 2020]

Truly a wonderful and unique show from start to finish that pays homage to many different genres and TV/Film tropes along the way.

Season 1 - 9/10

Season 2 - 10/10

Season 3 - 9.5/10

Season 4 - 7.5/10

Season 5 - 8.5/10

Season 6 - 8/10

Movie - Pending

Fantastic Four (2015)

F.a.N.T.4.S.t.I.c Fo.U.r

[2/10 · 9 June 2020]

Finishing this movie is not for the faint of heart.

Almost made me hate the invention of film.

No heart or soul in the movie.

The tone and pace is all over the place.

4 classic characters ruined.

Sometimes it's best to give up on a franchise.

The beginning of the end for Twentieth Century Fox.

Imagine a movie that doesn't know why it exists.

Cinema was better off before this movie existed.



Feel bad for those who saw this in theaters.

Opposite of a good time.

Unlikely to ever be watched a second time.

Raises the bar in one thing: Terrible Movies.

Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (2004)

Death by Film

[1/10 · 21 January 2020]

I can tell you this...FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, you will never experience a more shameful 88 minutes than this...it makes you question life itself..."How did I get here?" "Do I deserve this?" "Nothing will be the same." The time witnessing this travesty will be a burden you will have to carry forever...so do yourself a favor and cherish a life in which you have not witnessed this curse.

Jack and Jill (I) (2011)

How Does This Happen...

[1/10 · 21 January 2020]

You could tell from the poster alone this movie was a mistake...I watched this movie accidentally and I feel bad for it. So I walked downstairs and found this movie playing in the back ground while my family was off doing other things (They must have already given up) and I decided I'll sit on the couch and see what's up. Saw 10 minutes of it...got up in shame and knew I saw everything I needed to see to know I was witnessing trash. 0/10