Father Figures Review

Father Figures is a fun little comedy though not as funny as I wished. This movie is about two brothers who go on a road trip to find their real father and craziness ensues. Ed Helms and Owen Willson both give good performances in this movie playing brothers. They have good chemistry with each other and are fun to watch. Glenn Close also does a good job in the small role as the mother. I do not want to spoil them here, but all the possible dads do a good job and are funny. Sadly despite the great cast, this movie did not have as many laughs as I hoped. The first twenty minutes of this movie were almost laugh-free with only the occasional chuckle. However, once the brothers went on their road trip the movie picked up dramatically. The movie got funnier as it went on. Towards the end of the second act, there were two scenes in particular that I was crying with laughter. This movie is hard to dislike because it has such a big heart. There are some genuinely touching moments in this movie. Overall, Father Figures is not great, but still had enough funny moments for me to recommend it.

6/10

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Review

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was absolutely hysterical from start to finish. This movie is about 4 teenagers who are sucked into the game Jumanji and must beat the game in order to escape. However, they are not themselves, they have become game characters. This movie is perfectly cast across the board. Dwayne Johnson is hilarious playing a nerdy teenager. Kevin Hart who is playing a jock has perfect chemistry with the Rock. Karen Gillian is great playing a shy girl who does not know how to talk to people. However, Jack Black playing a popular teenage girl was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. This is the role he was born to play. Some of his scenes I could not breathe I was laughing so hard.  While they are not in the movie much outside of the opening, all of the actors playing the teenagers in the real world did a great job setting up their characters. This movie also shockingly had really great action sequences. They were equally funny and thrilling. The visual effects were also fantastic throughout. Director Jake Kasdan did a great job directing all aspects of this movie. The only flaw I really have is the villain is weak, but he has minimal screen time so it did not affect my enjoyment much.  At 119 minutes this movie flew by with the jokes coming one after the other and almost all of them hitting. Overall, I had a blast with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone looking for a fun comedy this holiday season.

9/10

Ferdinand Review

Ferdinand is a cute kids movie with some really funny moments. This movie is about a bull raised to be a fighter, but would rather smell the flowers. John Cena does a great job voicing the title character. He is equally funny and charming. Kate McKinnon also did a good job voicing the goat Lupe. All the voice work in this movie is good. There was not a particularly weak link. The side characters in this movie are mostly very funny. However, there are some that occasionally become quite annoying. The animation while not stunning is still quite good and is pleasant to look at.  At 108 minutes the movie moves at a good pace, while still being slow enough that young kids can follow it.  Overall, Ferdinand was a perfectly innocent, fun animated film that is ok for all ages.

7/10

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a great, albeit very different Star Wars movie. This movie is about the continuing story of Rey, Finn, and Poe in the Star Wars Saga. I would not dare say more due to spoilers.  This is not like any Star Wars movie we have ever seen and because of that, this movie takes a couple viewings to process. This film has some of the best and worst moments in all of Star Wars. There are moments that are downright cringe-worthy. However, the good far outweighs the bad.  Daisy Ridley continues to be a great new lead in this franchise. Her character is becoming more developed as the series goes on. Adam Driver's Kylo Ren also remains a great new villain and so far is the most developed character in this new saga. John Boyega is still giving a great performance as Finn, but it is clear they do not know what they are doing with his character. Oscar Issac's Poe Dameron is slowly becoming the new Han Solo and he has many great moments. Carrie Fisher is great in her final performance as Leia and has some heartbreaking scenes throughout. Mark Hamill also turns in another great performance as Luke Skywalker, although be warned this is a very different Luke from the original trilogy.  Newcomer Kelly Marie Tran gave a good performance as Rose.  However, due to the writing, her character could be occasionally annoying.  Laura Dern gave a good performance as a new Resistance General. However, her character is written horribly.  Benicio Del Torro does a fine job in a small role here but his character is given a pointless annoying stutter.  Rian Johnson does a great job directing this movie but some choices he made will be controversial to Star Wars fans. This movie has 3 separate plot lines that do all intersect in the end. However, this movie has an insane amount of plot holes that can be hard to overlook.  At 152 minutes this movie moves at a fast pace although some plots move slower than others. Overall, Star Wars: The Last Jedi has some awful moments but is still a fantastic movie that I highly recommend.

9.5/10

Wonder Review

Wonder is the biggest surprise of 2017. This movie is about a boy named Auggie, with facial deformities, as he attempts to survive public school. I was blown away by this movie. Almost everything in this movie works perfectly. Jacob Tremblay continues to be one of the best child actors ever, giving a fantastic performance as Auggie. All the child acting in this movie is top notch. Owen Willson and Julia Roberts were both great as Auggie's parents. Relative newcomer Izabella Vidovic also gave a fantastic performance as Auggie's sister.  Everything about this movie felt incredibly real. They nailed what public school was like. While this movie does have moments of sadness, I never found it to be manipulative.  At 113 minutes the movie moves at a good pace only occasionally dragging. Overall, Wonder was a huge surprise and is one of the best movies of the year.

9/10

Just Getting Started Review

Just Getting Started is watchable thanks to its cast but is still a bad movie. This movie is about Morgan Freeman and Tommy Lee Jones who are rivals at a retiree home and craziness ensues. Morgan Freeman and Tommy Lee Jones are clearly having fun here and this is why this movie is watchable. Rene Russo is fine but she's given nothing to do.  There are some definitely some chuckle moments in this movie. But for a comedy, this movie is extremely low on laughs.  In the 3rd act of this movie, there is a reveal that is random and makes absolutely no sense in the plot. Overall, Just Getting Started is a bad comedy that remains watchable thanks to its cast.

4/10

The Disaster Artist Review

The Disaster Artist is a great movie. However, it's not for everyone. This movie is about the behind the scenes making of the so bad it's good, cult classic, The Room. James Franco gives his best performance yet playing the mysterious Tommy Wiseau. He completely loses himself into the role to the point you only see his character. Dave Franco was also great as Tommy's best friend, Gregg, although he never losses himself into the role. This movie is filled to the brim with celebrity cameos, but they never come across as forced. James Franco also did a great job directing this movie, especially as a first-timer. As much as I love this movie, though, it will not work as well if you have not seen The Room. At 104 minutes the movie moves along at a good pace and always kept my interest. Overall, The Disaster Artist is an extremely entertaining movie but viewing of The Room first is recommended.

8.5/10

Lady Bird Review

Lady Bird is a good movie. However, it is one of the most overrated movies I have seen in a long time. This movie is a coming of age tale set in the early 2000s, about a seventeen-year-old girl called "Lady Bird" and her life struggles. Saoirse Ronan gave a good performance as the title character. Her character, while extremely unlikeable at first, won me over by the end of film. Laurie Metcalf as gave a solid performance as "Lady Bird's" mom. However, her character as well was extremely unlikeable. Most of the characters in this movie are so unlikeable that they are hard to root for. Greta Gerwig does a fine job directing this movie, but it is nothing special.  The editing in this movie is awful. It jumps around so much that you cannot tell if one day, one week, or one month has passed. While this movie does have its moments of drama and humor that work extremely well, there is also plenty of moments that fall flat. At 94 minutes with the poor editing, the pacing of this movie is all over the place. Overall, Lady Bird is a good movie with some great moments that never reaches overall greatness.

6/10

Roman J. Israel Esq. Review

Roman J. Israel Esq. is an okay movie with a fantastic performance from Denzel Washington. This movie is about an idealistic defense attorney named Roman Israel who through a series of mistakes ends up in a dangerous situation. This movie works because of Denzel Washington. He gave an awards worthy performance. Colin Farrell was also great in a smaller side role. Director Dan Gilroy did a competent job with this movie. However, this movie has so many different plots it felt like 2 different movies, a legal drama and a crime thriller. I enjoyed the legal drama aspects the most. Also at 129 minutes, this movie has terrible pacing as it felt 3 hours long. Overall, there are great performances and half of an interesting story. However, Roman J. Israel Esq. never succeeds in exceeding mediocrity. 

6/10