Instant reaction here. Was blown away by this movie. Not overly familiar with Justin Chon but his performance was exceptional and seeing he also wrote and directed this makes me excited for whatever projects he's involved with in the future. Alicia Vikander was solid as always great casting and most importantly the movie raises awareness to an issue most people were likely unaware of. Bravo!
Reviews
6 Reviews
Ask Me Anything
(2014)
Interesting Film
21 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
At first this film felt like your standard teen dramedy, but as it progresses it starts to become much more. You learn Katie was molested as a child and it gives some insight into why she makes the relationship choices she makes. You later learn she becomes pregnant and she has no idea who the father may be, as the list of suspects includes Long, Slater, and her of age boyfriend. She confronts her former boss at a book store she worked at (Sheen) with news of her pregnancy, who offers to house her and raise the baby himself in an attempt to steer her away from getting an abortion.
At this point the film wraps with its ending, and also a dark turn. We suddenly divert from Katie's world to a woman named Carol speaking, who is the mother of Amy Grantham, who we know as Katie. Carol reveals her daughter took a phone call one night from a blocked number, got in her car, and was never seen or heard from again. She then pleads with the audience for any information which could help lead to her daughter's whereabouts. Also in Carol's monologue are details of Amy's real life which are different from Katie's, such as Long's character not being a college professor but rather a video store manager. In addition the Spooner family disputes any sexual relationship between Katie/Amy and Paul and Sheen's character denying ever offering to raise her child. A really weird ending.
Admittedly I was thrown off by this, and immediately had to go to google and read other reviews of this film to confirm that Amy Grantham is not in fact a real person and the entire movie was 100% fiction. I endorse anything that rattles me and makes me start incessantly searching the internet for answers which is why this is the first movie in a while I watched more than once. The reviews for this movie were mixed, with some calling the ending stupid and predictable, but from my end this was something I hadn't seen before, and anything that makes you feel a plethora of emotions is something I fully recommend. I gave this movie 7 out of 10 stars on imdb. Thanks for reading!
At this point the film wraps with its ending, and also a dark turn. We suddenly divert from Katie's world to a woman named Carol speaking, who is the mother of Amy Grantham, who we know as Katie. Carol reveals her daughter took a phone call one night from a blocked number, got in her car, and was never seen or heard from again. She then pleads with the audience for any information which could help lead to her daughter's whereabouts. Also in Carol's monologue are details of Amy's real life which are different from Katie's, such as Long's character not being a college professor but rather a video store manager. In addition the Spooner family disputes any sexual relationship between Katie/Amy and Paul and Sheen's character denying ever offering to raise her child. A really weird ending.
Admittedly I was thrown off by this, and immediately had to go to google and read other reviews of this film to confirm that Amy Grantham is not in fact a real person and the entire movie was 100% fiction. I endorse anything that rattles me and makes me start incessantly searching the internet for answers which is why this is the first movie in a while I watched more than once. The reviews for this movie were mixed, with some calling the ending stupid and predictable, but from my end this was something I hadn't seen before, and anything that makes you feel a plethora of emotions is something I fully recommend. I gave this movie 7 out of 10 stars on imdb. Thanks for reading!
Tag
(I) (2018)
Tag Review
26 June 2018
Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Jeremy Renner (Arrival), Isla Fisher (Arrested Development), and Ed Helms (Vacation) star in Tag, a comedy focused on a group of friends who have been playing in the same game of tag since 1983. As adults they now play the game through the month of May, with the characters going to extreme lengths to get the upper hand on their friends. In the opening scene Helms's character, Hoagie, goes as far as getting a job as a janitor at Bob Callahan's (Hamm) place of employment in order to tag him and make him "it". The elaborate schemes the characters go to throughout the film's hour and forty minutes are reminiscent of shenanigans seen in The Hangover or Superbad, as the group plots to finally tag Jerry Pierce (Renner), the one friend who has never been tagged in the game's 30 year history. Jake Johnson (Neighbors), Hannibal Buress (Blockers), Annabelle Wallis (The Brothers Grimm), and Rashida Jones (The Office) co-star in what was a highly enjoyable comedy.
The film, while featuring an abundance of laugh out out loud moments as the characters repeatedly try and one-up each other, contains a strong message of the value of friendship. In an age where most people converge only to look at their phones or for weddings, children's birthday parties, etc; it is refreshing to see a group of people remain active in each others lives based on something as simple as a kids game. This film, which was based on a true story (in the end credits video clips of the actual participants are shown, which demonstrate the hi-jinx in the movie aren't highly exaggerated) and although the characters sometimes go to extreme lengths (some highly extreme) to get the upper hand on each other, you can tell through the strong acting performances of Helms, Hamm, and Fisher that these people genuinely care for one another.
Tag will likely not go down as one of the greatest comedies of all time (I gave it 8 stars on iMDB), but it was an enjoyable, feel good movie in a time where it's nice to smile for 100 minutes. Very strong performances from Hamm (who has shown his range between this and Beirut being released not far apart), Fisher (who is highly underrated for both her comedic timing and ability to display raw emotion) and Helms (who also showed his range recently in Chappaquidick, released at the same time as Beirut). Released at a good time before a majority of summer blockbusters hit screens, if you're looking for something enjoyable for a few laughs, this is "it" (sorry). Thanks for reading.
The film, while featuring an abundance of laugh out out loud moments as the characters repeatedly try and one-up each other, contains a strong message of the value of friendship. In an age where most people converge only to look at their phones or for weddings, children's birthday parties, etc; it is refreshing to see a group of people remain active in each others lives based on something as simple as a kids game. This film, which was based on a true story (in the end credits video clips of the actual participants are shown, which demonstrate the hi-jinx in the movie aren't highly exaggerated) and although the characters sometimes go to extreme lengths (some highly extreme) to get the upper hand on each other, you can tell through the strong acting performances of Helms, Hamm, and Fisher that these people genuinely care for one another.
Tag will likely not go down as one of the greatest comedies of all time (I gave it 8 stars on iMDB), but it was an enjoyable, feel good movie in a time where it's nice to smile for 100 minutes. Very strong performances from Hamm (who has shown his range between this and Beirut being released not far apart), Fisher (who is highly underrated for both her comedic timing and ability to display raw emotion) and Helms (who also showed his range recently in Chappaquidick, released at the same time as Beirut). Released at a good time before a majority of summer blockbusters hit screens, if you're looking for something enjoyable for a few laughs, this is "it" (sorry). Thanks for reading.
Ocean's Eight
(2018)
Ocean's Eight Review
21 June 2018
I had tethered expectations heading into the all women reboot of Ocean's 11 entitled Ocean's 8. The reboot stars Sandra Bullock (Speed, Our Time is Crisis) as Debbie Ocean, the sister of the former title character, who is deceased as of this film's beginning (spoiler, sorry). Playing the Brad Pitt character to Bullock's Ocean is Cate Blanchett (Carol, The Aviator). The movie begins as Debbie is released from prison and follows the "eight" as they attempt to rob a valuable necklace off the neck of actress Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway) at the annual Met Gala. Celebrity cameos and a strong supporting cast including Rihanna (Bates Motel), Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story), Helena Bonham Carter (Fight Club), and Mindy Kaling (The Office), as well as cameos from Oceans vets Elliot Gould and Shabo Qin made for an enjoyable hour and forty minutes.
In ranking of Ocean's films I would put this at third best, behind Ocean's 11 and 13, but in front of 12 (Why did Tess pose as Julia Roberts when she was played by Julia Roberts? I don't know the dictionary definition of pretentious but if you asked me to describe it for you I would likely reference this scene). The characters held their own and Bullock and Blanchett have always been strong leading actors, without needing to be put in a "women's" movie to prove such. The twists and turns throughout the film were what one who has seen prior Ocean's films would expect, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
In terms of films which are meant to highlight a demographic traditionally not known for being able to book franchise caliber films, namely women, it wasn't as good as Bridesmaids, but also not as bad as Ghostbusters (why were Murray, Aykroyd, and Hudson in the film but not as their original characters? It literally made no sense). I would rank it about the same as I did Rough Night, which was said to be the women's answer to The Hangover (I'm not sure if I actually heard this or if I'm making it up, if it's the latter then I would like full credit for a stellar analogy). I've read these films are unnecessary and all the counter arguments to them, such as "if women want to be empowered they should start their own films as opposed to rebooting films carried previously by men", to which I would strongly disagree. I think we can have both, and I enjoyed watching Bullock/Blanchett/Carter play off each other as I did Clooney/Pitt/Damon in 2001. If a film is good, it is good, and if the film is all women and it is good, all the better. I gave this 7 stars on iMDB and would recommend giving it a look. Thanks for reading.
In ranking of Ocean's films I would put this at third best, behind Ocean's 11 and 13, but in front of 12 (Why did Tess pose as Julia Roberts when she was played by Julia Roberts? I don't know the dictionary definition of pretentious but if you asked me to describe it for you I would likely reference this scene). The characters held their own and Bullock and Blanchett have always been strong leading actors, without needing to be put in a "women's" movie to prove such. The twists and turns throughout the film were what one who has seen prior Ocean's films would expect, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
In terms of films which are meant to highlight a demographic traditionally not known for being able to book franchise caliber films, namely women, it wasn't as good as Bridesmaids, but also not as bad as Ghostbusters (why were Murray, Aykroyd, and Hudson in the film but not as their original characters? It literally made no sense). I would rank it about the same as I did Rough Night, which was said to be the women's answer to The Hangover (I'm not sure if I actually heard this or if I'm making it up, if it's the latter then I would like full credit for a stellar analogy). I've read these films are unnecessary and all the counter arguments to them, such as "if women want to be empowered they should start their own films as opposed to rebooting films carried previously by men", to which I would strongly disagree. I think we can have both, and I enjoyed watching Bullock/Blanchett/Carter play off each other as I did Clooney/Pitt/Damon in 2001. If a film is good, it is good, and if the film is all women and it is good, all the better. I gave this 7 stars on iMDB and would recommend giving it a look. Thanks for reading.
Gotti
(2018)
Gotti Review
21 June 2018
A couple of months ago I saw the trailer for Kevin Connolly (Entourage) directed Gotti, starring John Travolta (American Crime Story) as the lead, and I immediately thought of Jared Leto as The Joker in Suicide Squad. The trailer did the actual movie no justice, and made the film look like the bad reviews of it would be justified. However, while Gotti will not make its presence felt during Oscar season, there are certainly worse things you can do with an hour and forty.
Alongside Travolta as Gotti, Kelly Preston (Travolta's wife in real life) stars as his wife Victoria, and Spencer Rocco Lofranco (Unbroken) and Chris Mulkey (Whiplash) hold their own in supporting roles. The movie itself documents Gotti's early beginnings coming up in the Gambino crime family, the death of his son after being hit by a car (Travolta and Preston acting out their grief in these scenes felt very real after the two recently lost a son themselves), and his ultimate incarceration, death, and culminates with the legal troubles of his first born son, John A. Gotti.
The problem with this movie was not its content, which was about average but nowhere near worth the poor reviews it has received thus far. The problem is for starters, there is nothing new to be learned by sitting through this movie. Gotti already had a film in 1996, starring Armand Assante, and it was great. There was virtually no new information from this version which I didn't already know from watching Assante twenty-two years ago. Plus, unless you're Lyndon Baines Johnson (Woody Harrelson in LBJ, Bryan Cranston in All the Way, Tom Wilkinson in Selma, and Liev Schreiber in The Butler all killed, I know this is highly off topic but watch all of these films today, you're welcome) you don't need more than one biopic. I would recommend the original Gotti to this version 10/10 times.
An additional problem with this film is the genre itself, namely the Italian Mafia. In a society where dominating male characters are currently not being heavily shopped the timing of this film seemed off. Also in terms of films depicting the Italian Mafia, there is nowhere to go but down. While loyal fans of the genre like myself wait patiently for the next Goodfellas to hit the screens, or the next Sopranos to grace my television set, there will be dozen's of Gotti's to ultimately come up short. I could be wrong, but it is likely we will be waiting for a long time for the resuscitation this genre of movie desperately needs. Thanks for reading.
Alongside Travolta as Gotti, Kelly Preston (Travolta's wife in real life) stars as his wife Victoria, and Spencer Rocco Lofranco (Unbroken) and Chris Mulkey (Whiplash) hold their own in supporting roles. The movie itself documents Gotti's early beginnings coming up in the Gambino crime family, the death of his son after being hit by a car (Travolta and Preston acting out their grief in these scenes felt very real after the two recently lost a son themselves), and his ultimate incarceration, death, and culminates with the legal troubles of his first born son, John A. Gotti.
The problem with this movie was not its content, which was about average but nowhere near worth the poor reviews it has received thus far. The problem is for starters, there is nothing new to be learned by sitting through this movie. Gotti already had a film in 1996, starring Armand Assante, and it was great. There was virtually no new information from this version which I didn't already know from watching Assante twenty-two years ago. Plus, unless you're Lyndon Baines Johnson (Woody Harrelson in LBJ, Bryan Cranston in All the Way, Tom Wilkinson in Selma, and Liev Schreiber in The Butler all killed, I know this is highly off topic but watch all of these films today, you're welcome) you don't need more than one biopic. I would recommend the original Gotti to this version 10/10 times.
An additional problem with this film is the genre itself, namely the Italian Mafia. In a society where dominating male characters are currently not being heavily shopped the timing of this film seemed off. Also in terms of films depicting the Italian Mafia, there is nowhere to go but down. While loyal fans of the genre like myself wait patiently for the next Goodfellas to hit the screens, or the next Sopranos to grace my television set, there will be dozen's of Gotti's to ultimately come up short. I could be wrong, but it is likely we will be waiting for a long time for the resuscitation this genre of movie desperately needs. Thanks for reading.
Traders
(2015)
Traders Review
11 December 2016
I was pleasantly surprised by this film, which is if you want a plot summary for i'm sure you can just go to IMDb or Wikipedia. I checked it out because I saw John Bradley was in it and i'm a big GOT fan. Alas in this film Bradley plays Vernon, an out of work want to be entrepreneur who concocts the idea of "trading" in which two people put all of their net worth into a bag, and challenge each other to a fight to the death in which the winner nets both bags. Vernon is very Samwell Tarylish in his neurotic-ness and the lead character, Harry, played by Killian Scott acted out his character arc brilliantly as out of work and hopeless man in the beginning to wealthy terminator by the films end. As the movie ran shortly under 90 minutes it felt like a long episode of an anthology series as opposed to an actual film, but nevertheless it was quite enjoyable and I suggest giving it a look.
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