Alita: Battle Angel Review

Alita: Battle Angel is a technical masterpiece but has serious issues with its script. This movie is about a cyborg named Alita who awakens with no memory. As she is taken in by a sympathetic doctor, she begins to learn more about her past. Rosa Salazar gives a great performance. She carries a lot of this movie on her shoulders and makes us care about her character. Christoph Waltz gives a good performance playing a doctor with a complicated past. Ed Skrein does a fine job playing a stereotypical bad guy. Mahershala Ali and Jennifer Connelly both give decent performances in their supporting roles but are severely underutilized. Keean Johnson’s performance is awful and hilariously bad at times. I started laughing at how bad his acting was in some scenes. Robert Rodriguez did a great job directing. The action sequences are fluid, exhilarating and easy to follow. However, I do wish there was more of them as they do not feel frequent enough. The visual effects are mind-blowing good, easily the best I have ever seen. I was frequently in awe that what I was watching was all CGI. The cinematography and art design are also both incredible, the movie is always beautiful to look at. The script, however, is where these movies problems lie. The core storyline is good, but the dialogue varies between mediocre and atrocious. The romantic dialogue in this movie is some of the worst I have ever heard. At 122 minutes the pacing is slow in the first half, but definitely better in the second half when the action picks up. Overall, Alita: Battle Angel is incredible on a technical level, but it's weak script holds it back from being more than a fun spectacle showcase.
6/10

Happy Death Day 2U Review

Happy Death Day 2U is a great follow up to the surprise first film taking the series in a new direction. This movie is about Tree who gets stuck in another time loop with a new killer after them. Jessica Rothe gives a fantastic performance. She carries this entire movie on her shoulders and is extremely funny and charismatic. Israel Broussaed gives a great performance with his role slightly expanded this time. He still has incredible chemistry with Rothe and is an equally compelling character himself. Phi Vu gives a good performance in a significantly larger role but sometimes his character is a bit annoying. Rachel Matthews is a lot of fun in a small supporting role. Christopher B. Landon does a great job directing. He brings the right amount of tension when it's needed while letting his actors do most of the work. The script is fantastic but different than what you might expect. While the first film was a horror comedy this movie almost completely ditches the horror element and becomes a sci-fi comedy. At 100 minutes the pacing is great. Once the setup is over this movie does not stop moving. Overall, Happy Death Day 2U was a fun and unique sequel and I hope we get a third film. 
8/10

Cold Pursuit Review

Cold Pursuit is not what you would expect and is all the better for it. This movie is about Neil Coxman’s quiet life as it comes crashing down when his son dies under mysterious circumstances. He goes on a revenge quest to kill the drug lord he believes to be responsible. Liam Neeson gives a fantastic performance. This is the best he has been in years. He's always sympathetic and pulls off the dark comedy well. Laura Dern gives a fine performance in a small supporting role. Emmy Rossum gives a fun and likable performance playing the police officer investigating everything. Tom Bateman is having a blast hamming it up in an over the top villain role. Hans Peter Moland did a great job directing and making very basic scenery interesting to look at. The script is good, albeit, a bit tonally inconsistent. Sometimes the hard shift from heavy drama to dark comedy is jarring and does not always work. At 118 minutes the movie moves at a good but slower pace and does occasionally slow down a little too much. Overall, Cold Pursuit is an odd mix of a movie, but remains enjoyable thanks to Liam Neeson’s committed performance.
7.5/10

What Men Want Review

What Men Want was a bad movie but was not without funny moments. This movie is about a female sports agent who, after meeting with a psychic, gains the ability to hear men's thoughts. Taraji P. Henson gives an okay performance. She is committed to the role but far too often comes across extremely unlikable. Josh Brener gives a good performance making the character his own despite being written as a gay stereotype. Tracy Morgan gives a great performance. His character frequently made me laugh whenever he was on screen. Erykah Badu also has a few moments that made me laugh hard in her small supporting role. Adam Shankman did a fine job directing. Nothing stood out, but I never noticed anything terrible. The script definitely has funny moments, but more often than not the jokes do not land. At 117 minutes the pacing is all over the place. The first act drags on forever and has very little funny humor. The second act is the film's best with plenty of chuckles and a few laugh out loud moments. The third act takes things way too seriously and the pacing grinds to a halt again. Overall, What Men Want was not without its funny moments, but not enough to warrant a recommendation.
4.5/10

The Prodigy Review

The Prodigy is a perfectly serviceable horror film for hardcore fans but general audiences need not bother. This movie is about a mother who thinks her young son's disturbing behavior may be caused by something supernatural. Taylor Schilling gives a great performance. You care about her character immediately and she even sells the cheesier moments well. Jackson Robert Scott gives an incredible performance. He switches between being terrifying and an adorable kid you worry about masterfully. His performance blew me away and kept me invested even in the films weaker moments. Colm Feore gives a good performance in a small supporting role. Peter Mooney's performance is hilariously bad but shockingly never took me out of the movie. Nicholas McCarthy did a good job directing, he milks as much tension as he can out of the films scariest sequences. He also wisely did not overuse jump scares. The script is filled with plenty of interesting ideas, but sometimes the film focuses on the less interesting aspects of the story. At 92 minutes the pacing is good until the very end where the movie ends 5 different times and drags on way too long. Overall, The Prodigy is a mediocre film boosted by one incredible performance. There is enough here to like that I recommend this movie to horror fans but no one else.
5.5/10

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part Review

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is a step down from the first film but overall is a fun experience. This movie takes place 5 years after the first and is about Emmet and Lucy trying to stop aliens from destroying their world. Chris Pratt gives a fantastic voice performance. He remains lovable as the naive Emmet, but also plays a second character named Rex. Any scene with Rex is easily the highlight of the film. Elizabeth Banks gives a great voice performance. She continues to play off Pratt perfectly. Will Arnet remains hilarious as Lego Batman, albeit, in a smaller role this time. Tiffany Haddish gives an okay voice performance. She does fine with what she's given but I was not a fan of her character. Stephanie Beatriz and Alison Brie give good voice performances in their respective supporting roles. Charlie Day is still hilarious but is severely underutilized. Mike Mitchell did a great job directing though he never quite achieves the sense of energy the first film had. Lord & Miller return to write and their witty meta-humor is in abundance here. Thankfully most of it is quite funny. However, the real world segment of the story does not work nearly as well as it did the first time. At 106 minutes the pacing is good though does slow down too much in its third act. Overall, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part remains a fun entry in the franchise despite never reaching the heights of the first film.
7/10

The Favourite Review

The Favourite was an okay movie boosted by two great lead performances. This movie is about Queen Anne in 18th century England and her close friend Lady Sarah as they govern the country. When Abigail, a servant, begins to get too close to the Queen a rivalry between Sarah and Abigail begins. Rachel Weiz gives a fantastic performance. She switches between vulnerable and manipulative masterfully. Emma Stone gives an incredible performance. Her character is extremely layered and only becomes more interesting as the film progresses. Any scene where Weiz and Stone share the screen is among the film's best. Oliva Colman gives a good performance, but sometimes her acting was too over the top and it took me out of the movie. Nicholas Hoult gives a fine performance in a small supporting role. Yorgos Lanthimos did a great job directing. The film is gorgeous to look at and makes you feel like you are really in 18th century England. The script is good and at its best when the rivalry between our leads is the focus. There is also a healthy dose of dark offbeat humor that more often than not I found funny. At 119 minutes the pacing is sluggish. There are some parts that are paced well but plenty of scenes felt like they dragged on forever. Overall, The Favourite is a fine movie boosted by two great lead performances.
6/10

Miss Bala Review

Miss Bala is a textbook example of a mediocre throwaway crime film. This movie is about Gloria who, after witnessing a club shooting, is forced to work for the Cartels against her will. Gina Rodriguez gives a great performance. She carries this entire movie on her shoulders and sells vulnerability and action equally well. Ismael Cruz Cordova gives a decent peformance. He plays the stereotypical cartel leader well, but never makes the role his own. Anthony Mackie and Matt Lauria give fine performances in their small supporting roles. Catherine Hardwicke’s directing is competent but looks more like an expensive TV show than a movie. The script is very bland and dull with almost no surprises to keep you on the edge of your seat. At 104 minutes the pacing is fine once it gets going. I did not enjoy the first act at all but once the main plot got going, it was mediocre but watchable. Overall, Miss Bala has a great lead performance and is a okay distraction, but for anyone looking for more than a way to pass the time you won't find anything here.
5/10

Stan & Ollie Review

Stan & Ollie is a good movie with great performances, but is held back from greatness. This movie is about Laurel and Hardy, the world-famous comedy duo, who attempt to reignite their film careers as they embark on a Brittish theater tour. John C. Reilly gives a great performance. He is absolutely delightful to watch and you really feel for his character. Steve Coogan gives a really good performance. His dynamic with Reilly is the heart of the movie and they are a delight to watch together. Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda give fine performances playing Laurel and Hardy's wives but I hated their characters so much. Danny Huston gives a decent performance in a small supporting role. Jon S. Barid did a great job directing. It looks like an old movie and feels like a tribute to old Hollywood. At 98 minutes the pacing is a mixed bag. I loved the first 40 minutes. They were hilarious and charming to watch and it felt like a love letter to Hollywood. The second half got way more serious when the wife characters showed up and were given nothing to do but nag their husbands non-stop. If it were not for Reilly and Coogan's chemistry still being there, the second half would have been unwatchable. Overall, Stan & Ollie is a good movie with two great lead performances, just be prepared for the significant step down in quality in the second half.
6/10

The Kid Who Would Be King Review

The Kid Who Would Be King is mediocre kid's entertainment held back by a few huge flaws. This movie is about a young kid who learns he is the descendant of King Arthur and must gather a group of knights to stop an evil sorceress from ending the world. Louis Serkis gives a good performance. They do not give him the best people to play off of, but he does fine for a child actor. Dean Chaumoo gives an awful performance. His character was annoying and drove me crazy almost every time he was on screen. Tom Taylor and Rhianna Dorris gave fine performances in supporting roles. Rebecca Ferguson is having fun giving a hammy performance as the villain, but is given far too little to do. The best part of this movie is easily Angus Imrie who plays a young Merlin. He stole every single scene he was in and was hysterical to watch. Joe Cornish did a fine job directing, but the movie comes across as made for TV instead of a theatrical release. The script is mediocre and has a very forced political message. The entire movie is a two-hour metaphor for Brexit and it feels so forced. The character development is fine and the humor mostly misses. The exception being anything involving Merlin which got multiple huge laughs out of me. At 120 minutes this movie is far too long. The first act is straight up garbage, after that, it is a perfectly mediocre kids film held up thanks to Angus Imrie's fantastic performance. Overall, The Kid Who Would Be King has redeeming factors, but misses more than it hits.
5/10

Serenity Review

Serenity is an extremely unique movie, that while it does not quite work, I am very glad it exists. This movie is about a fishing boat captain who must juggle his mysterious past when his Ex shows up with a strange request. Matthew McConaughey gives a  great performance. He is playing a typical role for him and he has to act confused, but he does it well. Anne Hathaway gives a really good performance. Her character is very mysterious and keeps you wondering. Jason Clarke's performance is not very good, but he is so committed to it that you cannot help but admire it. Djimon Hounsou and Diane Lane both give fine performances in supporting roles. Steven Knight did a great job directing but an odd job writing. His direction is good and the movie is definitely beautiful to look at. I am still unsure whether or not I like the script. However, to its credit, I have never seen anything like it and I was never bored. At 116 minutes the movie moves at a good pace revealing new information at the right place to keep you invested. While I will not get into specifics, I will warn this is not a typical drama, so unless you are open to weird movies I would stay away from this one. Overall, Serenity was not quite a good movie, but I admire its uniqueness and dedication to the crazy ride this movie becomes.
5.5/10