An intimate portrait of Robin Williams and his invulnerable spirit, Robin’s Wish is the story of what really happened to one of the greatest entertainers of all time – and what his mind was fighting.
This might seem biased of giving this my highest rating because I’m a huge Robin a Williams fan, but trust me when I say this Robin’s Wish absolutely deserves this rating. The documentary is about Robin Williams final years as he was battling Lewy body dementia which was only diagnosed after his death, the whole movie is a very uncomfortable conversation about death and how it really effected everyone that loved him, Shawn Levy and Williams’s family are both perfect examples. You can hear the heart and pain in their voices as they are trying to live with that Williams is gone. It’s truly sad to see and depressing to see, as a documentary it’s really well made as well. It’s well shot, it’s very interesting and gives a lot of information about Williams‘s final days. It goes into great detail of what happened and how it effected Robin, it truly gets depressing and quite sad. I highly recommend giving this a watch especially if your a fan of Robin Williams..
Amy, an 11-year-old girl, joins a group of dancers named “the cuties” at school, and rapidly grows aware of her burgeoning femininity – upsetting her mother and her values in the process.
I’m going to skim through the controversy this movie had because at this point it’s beating a dead horse. Basically what happened was Netflix did a piss poor job of advertising this movie and making it sound like it’s for pedophillia when in reality it actually is against that. The director got death threats and completely left social media and here we are the day it got released. With all of that said is it any good? Well sort of I’m going to be honest here I don’t see how this movie won at Sundance. Sure it does have some surprisingly decent acting from the child actors, but the writing really fell on the weaker side. It really did try to be this coming of age story and I just don’t think it did as well as some other movies like Eighth Grade or The Florida Project. I actually found the backstory of why and how this movie was made more interesting than the movie itself, I do appreciate the rawness of the filming I do think it does bring a lot to what the movie is going for. I just felt this movie could have really done a lot more, it starts out really strong but then loses it’s footing towards the end. Unless you are curious about the controversy or just interested in general this isn’t something that you need to see.
Full of misgivings, a young woman travels with her new boyfriend to his parents’ secluded farm. Upon arriving, she comes to question everything she thought she knew about him, and herself.
Before I start this is going to be a NO SPOILER review, plus I’m just going to be going over the basic elements in the film such as the acting, writing and so on. Mostly because I want to completely avoid spoiling it, with that said let’s begin. First Charlie Kaufman is one talented director Synedoche, New York and Anomalisa are both fantastic films so there was a lot of excitement when I’m Thinking Of Ending Things was announced and Kaufman really did a fantastic job with this film. Let’s start with the acting because this is one of the main areas this movie nails it, Jessie Buckley, Jesse Plemons and Toni Collette are the standouts and they really do a fantastic job in their roles, everyone in the film gave such a raw and believable performance to the point where it does get creepy at times. Speaking of creepy let’s talk about the atmosphere, the atmosphere is a very interesting case in this movie. It’s a very mysterious atmosphere that really doesn’t have a set goal in mind but at the same time it’s quite terrifying. I do want to note that I’m Thinking Of Ending Things is NOT a horror movie, sure the atmosphere definitely feels like the type you would find In a horror movie but that doesn’t mean the film itself is one. Anyway back on topic the atmosphere really drives this movie, it gets creepier and creepier as it goes on. It’s definitely one of the most unsettling movies I’ve seen in awhile, when you combine that with very raw writing you have an incredible film on your hands. The writing is spectacular and feels as realistic as it possibly can, there are tons of moments where it feels like a broadway show from hell and I mean that in the best way I could. Because this movie does have a ton of terrifying and creepy as hell moments, I also want to point out that the writing feels as natural as it can be. It’s one of those movies where it doesn’t feel manufactured at all and gives a lot of life into the film. The cinematography is absolutely beautiful there are a ton of beautiful shots that give this movie a sense of beauty and mystery at the same time. Lastly there’s the direction that is masterful all around, it really showcases Charlie Kaufman’s talent and puts it on a whole other level. It really nails what Kaufman was going for and leaves a lot to the viewer what to think of what you just saw (you will be saying “what did I just see” A LOT during this film) overall I’m Thinking Of Ending Things is a masterpiece and definitely one of the best films so far this year, I will say this is NOT going to be for everyone it’s a very divisive movie that not everyone is going to like. You may also have to watch it again to get the full experience. If it sounds like your type of movie definitely check it out!
A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father.
Mulan is by far one of the better live action Disney remakes especially in awhile, the last couple Lady and the Tramp, The Lion King, Kim possible (if you count it), dumbo and a few others have really ranged from terrible to below average. Mulan does introduce a few things, such as a few new characters and does cut some things out as well. What Mulan does best at is the technical aspects, such as the cinematography, the sets, the action scenes and the music. It all comes together quite nicely and accomplishes what it’s set out to do. The acting is also fairly decent, sure there are moments that could have definitely been so much better but I do feel like the cast gets the job done. I feel like my biggest issue here was the writing, it falls in the exact same trap that a lot of these Disney live action remakes fall into. Having very safe writing and not really doing anything else, the original Mulan actually took a lot of risks (one of the main reasons it’s one of my favorite films of all time) this movie however didn’t. It’s very enjoyable luckily and as I said before it’s far better than a lot of the recent live action Disney remakes, but if you are a huge fan of the original do not expect this to be just as good. I do recommend giving it a watch though as it is a very decent movie!
Artist Matt Furie, creator of the comic character Pepe the Frog, begins an uphill battle to take back his iconic cartoon image from those who used it for their own purposes.
Feels Good Man is surprising, the idea of making a whole documentary about a cartoon frog and actually dissecting the topic in a surprisingly heroic way sounds bizarre on paper. But this movie does just that as Matt Furie tries to get his creation Pepe The Frog back which became a hate symbol due to the Alt-Right. Matt Furie himself really shows how much he cares about Pepe and does everything in his power to get his creation back, the documentary does a really great job of digging into the mindset of the Alt-Right such as Alex Jones and many of the people on 4chan who started all of this. But at the same time this movie manages to have a ton of wholesome moments, it’s the balance of digging into mindsets and the wholesome moments that make the film work. Matt Furie also shows this sense of kindness that really brings a lot to the film as well, while he is fighting to get control of his creation again. He still keeps this kind attitude that is really inspiring as well, overall this is a fantastic film that highly recommend. Going into this movie I did not think I would love as much as I did, but life is full of surprises and this movie is the definition of a surprise. About a man wanting to make things right and taking back what was rightfully his.
A group of friends think they find an easy score at an empty house with a safe full of cash. But when the owners, an elderly couple, come home early, the tables are suddenly turned.
The Owners is really nothing noteworthy when it comes to the home invasion genre, this almost feels like a copy of “Don’t Breathe” and it some ways it is. The characters are extremely unlikable the only one that is somewhat likable is Maisie Williams character, but even she has her unlikable moments. With that said Maisie Williams definitely gives the best performance out of everyone, she tries her best with a let’s face not a very inspiring script to work with. Everyone else ranges from bad to very mediocre, the writing is really just okay there’s some moments where they tried to do something different especially towards the end. But I don’t think that’s worth sitting through the rest of the movie which moves way too slowly, The Owners really wanted to capture what other successful home invasion movies have done in the past like Don’t Breathe. The problem is it’s nowhere near as effective, it doesn’t have the same atmosphere and it most certainly doesn’t have the elements that ultimately build it together. Instead it’s just another home invasion movie that has little to offer. I’m sure this would be a fine movie if someone who has never seen a home invasion movie is watching, but for everyone else this is really nothing to write home about.
Five young mutants, just discovering their abilities while held in a secret facility against their will, fight to escape their past sins and save themselves.
Well what did you expect…for this to be actually good? New Mutants the last X-Men movie made only by 20th Century Fox, it was originally supposed to release back in 2018. New Mutants constantly got delayed for almost 3 years when it finally came out this year. The only positive I can give New Mutants are Anya Taylor Joy, Masisie Williams and Blu Hunt’s performances were they anything groundbreaking? Absolutely not but they were far better than anything else in this gigantic mess, first off let’s talk about the writing….what a complete disaster. First off the writing feels like something straight out of some edgy fanfiction, with some racist jokes, a sexual abuse joke and tons of poorly written lines it’s enough to make you want to hit your head against a wall. The “horror” aspect in this movie is complete bull crap, it’s very clear Josh Boone or any of the writers don’t know how to write horror, this is a kindergarteners understanding of what horror is. Just because you add a few jumpscares and make the screen dark doesn’t mean it’s a horror movie. It’s one of the worst attempts I’ve seen in quite awhile. Speaking of Josh Boone let’s talk about how he whitewashed two characters in the movie, I’m sure you have heard the controversy so I won’t go on about it, but I feel like it needs to be mentioned because it goes to show that none of the writers or Josh Boone knew what they were doing. Oh yeah and they actually spelled the creator of the New Mutants comic’s name wrong too so that’s an extra slap to the face. Then there’s the pacing and the story itself which I honestly can’t believe they thought this would work. Almost all of the movie is the main characters sitting around doing nothing until the main villain (which by the way is very predictable who it is, all you need to do is watch the first couple minutes of the movie and you will know who it is) appears. That is literally the whole entire movie, nothing engaging, nothing interesting just garbage. Overall New Mutants is garbage and definitely one of the worst X-Men movies, it may not be as bad as Dark Phoenix or X-Men Origins Wolverine but that is really not saying much…
Description A soldier and his team battle hordes of post-apocalyptic zombies in the wastelands of the Korean Peninsula.
Peninsula is hands down the most disappointing movie I’ve seen so far this year and it’s not even close. What exactly happened here? Well a lot of things, it does everything Train To Busan much worse and really does a half ass job at it too. Train To Busan was this mostly grounded film with zombies in it, but the focus wasn’t just on the zombies it was about the characters and their relationship with one another. The character development from all the characters really sold the movie and even had some emotional moments, so when the characters do end up dying you feel sorry for them. Peninsula doesn’t have any of that, instead of a cleverly well crafted movie that has a lot of character development. It’s a very below average blockbuster action movie with very little character development and a very uninspiring plot. The acting is fine enough and some of the action scenes are pretty neat but that’s the problem it shouldn’t had been “just fine” it should have been fantastic, it almost feels like this was directed by a whole different person but that’s not the case. As I said before Peninsula feels way too much like a blockbuster, in some cases that can be okay but in this case it definitely isn’t. Especially when you look at Train To Busan which was much more grounded, Peninsula isn’t grounded at all it falls into one of those zombie movies that tries to go for an over the top feel to it. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it’s such a disappointment to see. Finally there just isn’t anything noteworthy about Peninsula, it’s one of those movies that’s just there and it doesn’t have much to say at all. Overall Peninsula isn’t a terrible movie, but if you were a huge fan of Train To Busan like i was prepare to be disappointed.
The story of songwriter Howard Ashman who penned the lyrics for Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast before he died of AIDS at the height of the AIDS crisis in 1991.
Howard Ashman was one of the best lyricists of our time, this documentary about how an incredible of a human being he was really shows that. The documentary goes over quite a bit and really goes into many emotional aspects, plus what inspired him to write certain songs. Take “The Mob Song” from Beauty And The Beast for example, Howard Ashman had AIDS by the time he wrote this song, Ashman viewed the Beast’s curse as an allegory for AIDS. He was inspired to write this song from a public sentiment at the time that was against AIDS and the gay community. Which is honestly something I would never think that would be what the song’s inspiration was but it shows there’s a story even for songs you wouldn’t expect. He also wrote several classics Arabian Nights, Under The Sea, Belle, Prince Ali, Be Our Guest, Beauty and the Beast and several others. The man was a mastermind and really seemed passionate at what he does, then there’s the emotional parts of the documentary that almost made me cry. It’s honestly really sad and shows how much of a good person Howard Ashman was to everyone around him, it’s heartbreaking to watch. Overall what else is there to say really? It’s a very straightforward documentary yet something truly special and one of the best films I’ve seen so far this year, I highly recommend watching it as soon as you can!
A modern take on Charles Dickens’s classic tale of a young orphan who is able to triumph over many obstacles.
I’m actually quite surprised I liked this as much as I did, I’m going to be brutally honest…I did not think this look really good from the trailers. But I love being proved wrong and in this case I most definitely was, it’s directed by Armando lannucci director of “The Death Of Stalin” my favorite thing about this movie by far is Dev Patel as the leading the role, he does such a fantastic job and gives this beautiful performance. Same goes for everyone else in the film, they all really give it their all and the end result is quite great. The writing is pretty solid, I wouldn’t say anything mind blowing but still some really great stuff that captures the era the movie is supposed to be taking place. The direction was quite great, I don’t think Iannucci’s direction wasn’t as good here as it was in Death Of Stalin, but it still has the elements and they worked very well here to get the job done. The costumes and filming in particular really captured the time period this movie was going for, it feels incredibly realistic and to the point! Overall a very solid film that I would recommend!!
7/10 B
Actor David Arquette attempts a rocky return to the sport that stalled his promising Hollywood career.
David Arquette is a really interesting person and this documentary shows that quite well. It’s a very straightforward documentary that shows the rise and fall of David Arquette, it also shows him not giving up on his career which is really inspiring. Which is honestly what I describe this movie as inspiring, it shows a man that does not give up on his dreams and keeps fighting for it. As far as filmmaking it’s quite great, it’s one of those documentaries where you actually begin to feel for the person the film is about (in this case David Arquette) the documentary is a little slow at times but I do feel the payoff is really worth it in the end. I’m glad they included his wrestling career because it’s always strange whenever a conversation about wrestlers who started acting careers David Arquette always seems to be forgotten. Which brings a very interesting point, David Arquette has 139 acting credits (according to IMDb at the time this was written) yet a lot of people seem to only remember him from The Scream movies and without the Scream movies a lot of people seem to forget him. Which is really baffling, it’s great to see that David Arquette never gave up! Overall this is definitely worth checking out!!
9/10 A
A married couple find themselves trapped in their frozen vehicle after a blizzard and struggle to survive amid plunging temperatures and unforeseen obstacles.
First things first the movie claims it’s based on a true story, however I found nothing about the story it’s actually based on. I do believe it’s based on a mix of stories that are related to this one. Anyway Centigrade is another survival movie that really doesn’t have anything special going for it, it got the atmosphere down pretty well. But the characters are just really idiotic, some of the decisions they make are truly baffling and just not realistic at the slightest. The acting is fine enough but the writing feels like they just played way too safe with this one. It never really goes anywhere and the movie just kind of ends. This is a very common problem with a lot of these survival movies is they really can’t invest the audience because they just don’t have enough going on and really do the bare minimum. Centigrade is definitely not the worst survival movie out there but it’s definitely one of the most forgettable.
Jerome Reviews... 