47 Meters Down: Uncaged Review

47 Meters Down: Uncaged is a bad movie that I couldn't help but enjoy. This movie is about a group of teenage girls who go diving in underwater caves with ancient sharks. Sistine Rose Stallone gives a horrible performance. Her character is so unlikable it becomes impossible to care about her. Brianne Tju gives a bad performance. However, the role gives her so little to do that she is bearable. Corinne Foxx gives an okay performance. Her character is really unlikable at first, but becomes better as the film continues. Sophie Nelisse gives a decent performance. Her character is likable and easy to root for which helps a lot. Johannes Roberts did a good job directing. The underwater scenes actually look cool, albeit, a little too dark. The script is terrible with awful characters and a non-existent plot. However, this movie is no unashamedly stupid that I had fun laughing at it. At 89 minutes this movie will drag on forever if you take it seriously, but if you're willing to laugh at it you'll have a fun time. Overall 47 Meters Down: Uncaged is by no means a good film but in the right mindset is still a lot of fun.
5/10

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Review

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a fun horror movie that suffers from tonal inconsistency. This movie is about a group of kids who find a cursed book full of scary stories. Soon these stories begin happening to all of them. Zoe Colletti gives a good performance. Her character is likable and she plays scared very well. Michael Garza gives a great performance. His character has a lot of layers and a good dynamic with Colletti. Gabriel Rush and Dean Norris do a good job in their respective supporting roles. They provide some much-needed comedy relief. Andre Ovredal did a great job directing. The horror sequences are well done and scary without an over-reliance on jump scares. The script is a bit of a mixed bag. The characters are likable and the horror scenes effective but they never quite feel equal tonally. The visual effects are great, all the creatures are well designed and creepy. At 111 minutes the pacing is good though the first act is pretty slow, but thankfully picks up. Overall, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a fun horror movie but a weak first act and tonal inconsistency hold it back.
7/10

Good Boys Review

Good Boys has a strong start and finish but falters in the middle. This movie is about three middle school boys who must go on a crazy adventure to fix a drone before their parents get home. Jacob Tremblay is fantastic in this movie. He nails every single comedic and emotional beat perfectly. Keith L. Williams gives a really good performance and has some hilarious moments. However, some of the creative choices with his character make him come across as annoying. Brady Noon gives a fine performance. He is easily the weakest of the three leads but still has a good dynamic with Tremblay and Williams. Molly Gordon and Midori Francis are great as the "villains" chasing after the kids. Gene Stupnitsky did a good job directing. The scenes are well shot and escape the TV movie feel most comedies fall into. The script is all over the place. The first act of this movie had me rolling with laughter. The second act while it still had funny moments, also dragged and had a few parts I found annoying. The movie thankfully recovers in time for the third act though and by the end of everything I had really gotten attached to main characters. At 89 minutes the pacing sometimes flies by but can really drag in the second act. However, the movie ends just soon enough that it does not overstay it's welcome too much. Overall, Good Boys is a very funny movie but held back from greatness due to its mediocre middle.
7.5/10

The Kitchen Review

The Kitchen is an enjoyable but flawed crime drama. This movie is about 3 wives who become mobsters after their husbands are arrested. Melissa McCarthy gives a great performance. She plays tough and vulnerable equally well. Tiffany Haddish gives an okay performance. She has some strong moments but overall never felt consistent. Elisabeth Moss gives a good performance. She does well with what she's given, but she needed a big moment to shine. Domhnall Gleeson gives a fantastic performance. He really impressed me here, showing a dark side I haven't seen from him in a while. Andrea Berloff’s direction is fine but inconsistent. Sometimes the movie has a really unique style and other times it's very messy. The script is good with compelling characters. However, there needed to be a couple of scenes of action to really sell certain plot points. At 104 minutes the pacing is fine. While the movie did occasionally slow down, I never got bored. Overall, The Kitchen was a good, albeit, flawed mob movie.
6/10

The Angry Birds Movie 2 Review

The Angry Birds Movie 2 was not as good as the first one but is an enjoyable kids' film nonetheless. This movie is about the birds and the pigs who must now team up to stop the immediate threat from newly discovered Eagle Island. Jason Sudeikis gives a great performance. He manages to sell a couple of emotional moments very well while still being funny. Bill Hader is easily the best part of this movie. His character has almost all of the funniest lines. His back and forth with Sudeikis is a lot of fun. Josh Gad and Danny McBride both give good performances in their respective roles but they never had a chance to really stand out. Sterling K. Brown is enjoyable but underutilized in his small supporting role. Leslie Jones did a fine job voicing the villain but outside of a couple of funny moments, her character was annoying. Thurop Van Orman did a good job directing. The animation is definitely improved from the first film. The script is where this movie really falters for me. It is a way too generic and safe compared to the first film. There are still a few adult jokes thankfully, but nowhere near as much as the shockingly dirty first film. Also, the villain is poorly written and just annoying almost anytime she's on-screen. Overall, The Angry Birds Movie 2 is a perfectly fine kids' movie but is inferior to the shockingly good first film.
6/10

Brian Banks Review

Brian Banks was a surprisingly compelling drama with two strong performances. This movie is about an aspiring football star whose life is changed forever when he is falsely accused of rape and sent to prison. Aldis Hodge gives a fantastic performance. He is so likable and easy to root for that he carries this movie even through it's weakest scenes. Greg Kinnear gives a great performance. His dynamic with Hodge is the heart of this movie and you buy their friendship. Melanie Liburd gives an okay performance. She does fine with what she is given, but I never fully bought her relationship with Hodge. Tom Shadyac did a competent, albeit, unspectacular job directing. The movie just cannot ever fully escape the TV feeling. The script is a mixed bag. When this movie focuses on the legal storyline and Brian's case, I was invested. However I never really was fully sold on the romance and those scenes could drag on. At 99 minutes the movie moves at a good pace though some parts definitely move quicker than others. Overall, I enjoyed Brian Banks thanks to the strong performances from its two leads, but theirs no denying it's flawed.
6/10