Thirteen Lives captures claustrophobia expertly.

A rescue mission is assembled in Thailand where a group of young boys and their soccer coach are trapped in a system of underground caves that are flooding.

Thirteen Lives is based on the Tham Luang cave rescue which occurred in June and July 2018 where twelve members of junior association football team and their coach were trapped. If you recall last year a documentary called The Rescue was about this very subject (highly recommend checking that out) so seeing this movie release not even less then a year after The Rescue came out is actually a huge risk, luckily Thirteen Lives has a lot going for it. The cast in particular do a really great job here Colin Farrell, Viggo Mortensen and Joel Edgerton in particular hit it out of the park really well and give some pretty raw performances. The claustrophobic feel during the diving scenes as well as the cave scenes are very effective due to the atmosphere and Ron Howard’s direction he does such an excellent job of capturing claustrophobia and how it really feels. We get to hear different perspectives from the many people involved which is quite great, the main criticism mostly comes from wanting to see more of the football team and their coach. Expand on how they were feeling during all of this and more of the families as well, but overall Thirteen Lives is very solid! You will definitely get more out of The Rescue but if you are still interested in the story itself I do recommend checking this one out.

Thirteen Lives is available on Amazon Prime Video.

7/10 B

Anything‘s Possible is a genuinely sweet directorial debut from Billy Porter!

A high school student with a crush summons the courage to ask a transsexual teen out on a date, knowing the drama it could cause.

Anything’s Possible is directed by Billy Porter and wow this was a surprise, from the trailers it looked like this was going to be another high school comedy. While it does follow beat by beat plot points what makes this one standout is mainly the cast and that it is a genuinely lovable film, for starters credit must be given for casting Eva Reign a trans woman to play a trans woman. Reign’s performance is truly fantastic here it comes off as very raw and really captures the high school like feel that a lot of other high school movies have failed to do. In the fact the movie itself does a really good job in that aspect, the writing is actually really well done here and gives Kelsa (Reign) and Khal (Ali) some really strong character development. Speaking of which the chemistry between Eva Reign and Abubakr Ali (who is also quite great) is really strong and feels really natural, it’s such a sweet and lovable bond that really gives the movie a sense of realism. The movie does have a few jumping the shark moments, I truly don’t think the movie needed a mean girl type character Courtnee Carter is decent in the role but the whole subplot didn’t need to be there. Outside of that the rest of the movie is very lovable and really feels very down to earth, it’s a fun movie that shows a lot of talent from Billy Porter as a director and Eva Reign (who I cannot wait to see more from) plus Abubakr Ali as actors!

Anything’s Possible is available on Amazon Prime Video!

8/10 B+

Don’t Make Me Go is a showcase of a beautiful father and daughter bonding.

A terminally ill man and his teenage daughter embark on a road trip from California to New Orleans for his 20th college reunion. While there, he secretly hopes she can reunite with the mother who left them long ago.

The opening line of Don’t Make Me Go is definitely true “You’re not going to like the way this story ends, but I think you’re going to like this story”. Because the rest of the film is truly heartwarming and incredibly raw, John Cho once again shows that he’s currently one of the best actors working today. He plays Max Park who has a terminal disease and wants to connect with his daughter Wally Park who is played by Mia Isaac, this is Mia Isaac’s debut as an actress and she truly hits out of the park, she brings this down to earth style to her performance that captures the behavior and actions of a teenager. The father and daughter chemistry between John Cho and Mia Isaac is truly fantastic here, there’s a lot of emotional moments, a lot of quiet moments and a lot of heartwarming moments that show the many sides of a father and daughter. The writing keeps things grounded while throwing in a few parts that aren’t very grounded but they still fit the story that’s being told, Hannah Marks who previously directed Mark, Mary & Some Other People does a really solid job here. One thing that Marks is truly great at with only two films into her career, is that she’s fantastic at building relationships between the characters in her films it was shown quite a bit in Mark, Mary & Some Other People and it was most definitely shown in Don’t Make Me Go. The only main criticism is the last 10 minutes, the ending really comes out of nowhere and is a gut punch (not in a good way), despite that Don’t Make Me Go is a really solid film that I do highly recommend checking out.

Don’t Make Me Go is available on Amazon Prime Video.

8/10 B+

1Up is a huge game over.

Valerie is a competitive gamer whose impressive skills have landed her a place on her university’s male-dominated esports team. Told she’ll never be a starting player, Valerie forms an all-girl team to take down the guys at the national championship.

1Up is directed by Kyle Newman (Fanboys and Barely Lethal) and it’s a huge mess of a movie, to start out the best part about the movie is the representation. Hari Nef (who’s a trans woman) plays Sloane a trans woman and Lolita Milena (a paraplegic actress) plays Jenna who uses a wheelchair, so it’s nice there was some actual representation here and both of which happen to be the ones who got a few laughs out of me. They worked with what they were given and for a messy script they tried their hardest to make it work. Everything else can be summed up as what if we copied Pitch Perfect, made it about video games instead of singing and it was terrible. Heck the movie his it’s own fat Amy which the movie makes painfully obvious. The major problem here is the writing it’s the same sort of stuff that I’ve said in the past about Buzzfeed studios, they are so dedicated to shoving this “haha #relatable” humor down the viewer’s throat to the point where it becomes insulting. There’s even a Leroy Jenkins joke a meme that came from a video uploaded back that went viral in 2005, I get they used it because it has to do with video games but did they really need to shove a very old meme in here? The other characters are stereotypes who don’t have any defining traits besides the ones they are assigned, Paris Berelc plays the typical main character, Ruby Rose plays the typical mentor character (her acting here is dreadful), D.J. Mausner plays the fat Amy like character I mentioned earlier and Madison Baines plays the typical smart character. What made Pitch Perfect so great was that it knew what the the viewer wanted, some very solid drama, memorable jokes and great music. Aside from the occasional laugh you just don’t get that here with 1Up, If it hadn’t been for Hari Nef and Lolita Milena this would have easily been the worst movie so far this year.

1up is available on Amazon Prime Video.

1/10 F

Most Anticipated Films Of July 2022!

June flew by and what a great month it was for film, It’s time for a new month and as usual I’m listing films that I think look pretty interesting, but first I’ll list films that I have already seen whether that be from early screenings, Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW and so on that I highly recommend checking out. But unlike previous months there is only one film this time around which is of course.

Fire Of Love – July 6th (Theaters)

Next here’s the list!

20. Moloch – July 21st (Shudder)

19. Persuasion – July 15th (Netflix)

18. Incantation – July 8th (Netflix)

17. Valley Of The Dead or Malnazidos – July 11th (Netflix)

16. Alone Together – July 22nd (Theaters) and July 29th (VOD)

15. Rubikon – July 1st (VOD)

14. Good Madam – July 14th (Shudder)

13. American Carnage – July 15th (VOD)

12. Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down – July 15th (Theaters)

11. Anything Possible – July 22nd (Amazon Prime Video)

10. Medusa – July 29th (Theaters)

9. She Will – July 15th (VOD)

8. Don’t Make Me Go – July 15th (Amazon Prime Video)

7. Thor Love And Thunder – July 8th (Theaters)

6. The Princess – July 1st (Hulu)

5. Moon 66 Questions – July 8th (Theaters)

4. Not Okay – July 29th (Hulu)

3. Where The Crawdads Sing – July 15th (Theaters)

2. Both Sides Of The Blade – July 8th (Theaters)

1. Nope – July 22nd (Theaters)

And that’s the list for July, there’s a lot more coming out as well so July will be a busy month. Oh yeah it’s my birthday month too (July 5th to be exact).

My Fake Boyfriend is a Buzzfeed article if it were a movie.

Andrew has a major problem: he can’t stay away from the toxic boyfriend who just dumped him. His meddling friends decide to help him by creating Cristiano, a perfect fake boyfriend on social media.

My Fake Boyfriend is yet another movie produced by Buzzfeed Studios where the whole idea is to see how they can shove as many “relatable” and unfunny moments as possible, the cast at least tries their best with what they are given. But it’s nowhere near enough due to the writing being a complete and total dumpster fire, a lot of the jokes here strangely feel very dated and is the equivalent of a Buzzfeed article. As far as the plot goes there is honestly not a whole to say here, it uses an absurd idea that at first sounds really interesting and makes you wonder what they are actually going to do with it. Instead it ends up being very formulaic like a lot of romantic comedies and never does anything notable with it’s premise, it also doesn’t help that the writing feels like none of the writers have actually talked to an actual person. Which is to be expected from Buzzfeed since that’s the main criticism a lot of people use and rightfully so, finally it’s great that there is diversity but this is the type of movie where it comes off as studios wanting to sell a product rather than genuinely wanting to put diversity in their film. When you compare Fire Island a film that came out earlier this month which had gay representation to My Fake Boyfriend, the difference sticks out like a sore thumb. You have Fire Island a film that is really strong, feels like it was made with passion and not as a product while the other one is My Fake Boyfriend.

My Fake Boyfriend is available on Amazon Prime Video.

1/10 F

I Want You Back is a energetic and genuine romantic comedy.

Peter and Emma are total strangers. When they meet, they realize they were both dumped on the same weekend. Their commiseration turns into a mission when they see that each of their ex-partners have happily moved on to new romances.

Jason Orley returns with his second film (his first being Big Time Adolescence) I Want You Back and what a surprise this one was. It’s another romantic comedy that is definitely a step in the right direction for the genre, there’s a lot to like about this one. The cast does a really solid job particularly Jenny Slate and Charlie Day who both have strong chemistry between one another, while yes I Want You Back is predictable it still manages to be very entertaining between it’s cast and humor that actually really works. It gives the movie a lot of breathing room to come up with clever lines and add a few of it’s own ideas. What surprised me was how genuine some of the dialogue really was, at times the movie goes for a more grounded approach and other times it knows it has a premise that would not likely ever happen. But the two blend so well together that it works quite well, I Want You Back is truly a great time and definitely something that should not be overlooked!!

I Want You Back is available on Amazon Prime Video!

7/10 B

Quick Reviews: Catwoman Hunted, Through My Window, Bite Me and Book Of Love!

Catwoman’s attempt to steal a priceless jewel puts her squarely in the cross-hairs of a powerful consortium of villains, Interpol and Batwoman.

Catwoman Hunted is pretty solid, the animation is actually quite well done and the characters are pretty fun! The plot really doesn’t have a whole lot going for it, but the movie makes it up with some solid action and the talent involved. Stephanie Beatriz, Lauren Cohan and Elizabeth Gillies all do really strong job in their roles, Black Mask is a really solid villain as well! I do wish the movie expanded upon some of it’s characters and gave them a lot more character development. But for what Catwoman Hunted is the movie is pretty decent and is definitely worth a watch!

Catwoman Hunted is available on all VOD Platforms.

6/10 C+

Raquel has a longtime crush on her hot neighbor, Ares, whom she secretly watches but has never spoken to. Can she make Ares fall in love with her?

Through My Window is another reminder of why you don’t turn Wattpad stories into films, the only reason why I even bothered with this movie was because of curiosity. I didn’t think this could be anywhere near as bad as some people were making it out to be….I was wrong, Through My Window has some of the worst writing so far this year, it sounds exactly like a high school student’s fanfiction that they would be embarrassed if it got out. I truly have no idea what they were thinking here, the acting is horrendous it’s unbelievable that someone actually said “yes that’s perfect!” There’s absolutely no chemistry between the main characters, no strength in the performances absolutely nothing. The pacing is the straw that breaks the camel’s back, it’s atrociously slow making this 1 hour and 56 minute movie feel like 3 hours. I really have nothing else to say here, Through My Window is bottom of the barrel as you can get.

Through My Window is available on Netflix.

Disgrace To Cinema F

After Sarah, a real-life vampire, gets audited by the IRS but finds herself falling for her IRS agent, the hopelessly romantic James, forcing Sarah to confront the idea of falling in love with a mortal man.

Bite Me is if you took the romantic comedy genre and added vampires into it, there’s definitely some good bits such as the cast who definitely looked like they were having so much fun. Outside of the premise itself it doesn’t really do anything brand new, there’s some ideas thrown around in the movie that don’t get fully realized or developed unfortunately. But for what the movie is it’s actually pretty fun at times and there was some genuine love put into it. Plus there were some jokes that I thought were decently done!

Bite Me is available on all VOD Platforms.

5/10 C

Two writers thrown together on a book tour in Mexico.

’ll admit Book Of Love doesn’t have the usual type of humor you would expect from a Buzzfeed Studios movie. However that doesn’t make it a good movie, the major problem with this movie is that it’s very uninteresting and does nothing to drag audiences into it. Sam Claflin is fine enough but he really does not have a whole lot to work with as the script feels like another romantic comedy that’s very cliched. With that said Book Of Love isn’t horrendous, I’ve seen far worse romantic comedies this just happens to be one that is nothing special at all.

Book Of Love is available on Amazon Prime Video.

4/10 D+

The Tender Bar is another misfire from George Clooney.

In 1972, 9-year-old J.R. Maguire moves into his grandfather’s dilapidated house in Long Island, N.Y. Searching for a father figure, he falls under the unconventional tutelage of his uncle Charlie, a charismatic, self-educated bartender who introduces him to a handful of the bar’s colorful regulars. As the years pass and J.R. grows into a young man, he tries to fulfill his dream of becoming a writer.

The Tender Bar is a movie where I have a hard time thinking of a lot to say about it, mostly due to how bare bones it feels. I will say that the first half of this movie was quite great, that’s mainly due to Ben Affleck bringing in a ton of charm and passion into the role. There were some genuinely nice moments with his character, Christopher Lloyd is always nice to see as well. After the first half the movie completely sinks from there, it starts to lose it’s identity and ends up having the exact same problems George Clooney’s last several movies had. Very generic writing that is surface level and doesn’t tell the viewer anything about the characters, very by the numbers biopic that really doesn’t not tell you a whole lot of information about J.R. Moehringer. Lastly there’s the writing that’s just not strong enough to bring in the viewer, plus the coming of age story aspect feels incredibly bare minimum. Overall The Tender Bar is very forgettable and doesn’t offer much outside of a very strong performance from Ben Affleck and a few moments.

The Tender Bar is available on Amazon Prime Video!

4/10 D+

Being The Ricardos is another below average biopic.

In 1952, Hollywood power couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz face personal and professional obstacles that threaten their careers, their relationship, and their hit television show.

Being The Ricardos is what happens when a movie that is a very very below average gets constantly pushed to get spotlight. I was already dreading to watch Being The Ricardos after I heard how it’s a biopic that does nothing interesting, sadly that’s how I would sum up this movie. While Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem aren’t bad at all, they are not giving some of the best performances of the year that the movie and many sites are leading you to believe. Nicole Kidman was heavily miscast as Lucille Ball and it’s very easy to tell just by watching her performance for at least 10 minutes, the best performance was J.K. Simmons who gave this movie some sort of character. The writing felt like a huge drag, Sorkin’s writing this time around felt way too cluttered with so many ideas being thrown into the movie and proceeding to see what sticks. There’s a few interesting bits such as the camerawork which feels like it’s being filmed in a dressing room type of feel and it works actually pretty well considering the topic of the movie. What ultimately kills this movie is the 2 hours and 5 minute running time like a lot of biopics it over stays it’s welcome and goes on for far too long, it also starts to fall in typical biopic movie cliches and does absolutely nothing new. I really don’t know what else to say here, which is very concerning seeing how this might be a best picture nomination at the Oscars, in a year that I felt was a very strong year for film. The fact a below average biopic that has nothing to say and feels incredibly lifeless is being celebrated over Pig, The Green Knight, Nine Days and a few others is very sad. Give this one a skip.

Being The Ricardos is available on Amazon Prime Video!

4/10 D+