Brightburn Review

Brightburn was not without its moments but never came close to making full use of its premise. This movie is about a superpowered kid crashes on Earth but instead of saving it he has much more sinister intentions. Jackson A. Dunn gives a good performance. He can act creepy extremely well but really needed more development to fully care about him. Elizabeth Banks gives a great performance. She plays the conflicted nature of her character perfectly and you really feel for her. David Denman gives a fine performance but outside of one great scene is not given a ton to do. David Yarovesky did a good job directing. The actual scary scenes are well done but never quite as tension-filled as they should be. However, he should be commended for stretching his small budget as this is a beautiful looking movie. The script is a bit of a mixed bag. While I fully cared about Bank's character Dunn's journey is more rushed. This movie rushes too quickly to get to the violence but then goes long sequences with not much happening. The finale is more fun as it delivers the movie that people are expecting from this story. At 91 minutes the pacing is poor with many boring scenes. The movie starts well and ends extremely well but is sometimes downright boring in the second act. Also, note this is not a movie for the faint of heart. The violence here is extremely disturbing and bloody. Overall, Brightburn was an entertaining movie overall but wastes its awesome premise.
6/10

The Sun Is Also a Star Review

The Sun Is Also a Star was an awful romance movie that at least improves as it goes. This movie is about a hopeless romantic boy, unsure about his future, who falls for a girl who does not believe in love. Yara Shahidi gives an okay performance but she has nothing to work with. Charles Melton gives an awful performance. All his attempts at romance come across as creepy and stalker like. His chemistry with Shahidi is non-existent. Ry Russo-Young did a great job directing. The saving grace of this movie is the beautiful cinematography and camera work. The script is atrocious, but does get better as the film progresses. By the start of the third act, the movie became bearable and borderline good at times. A massive step up from the unwatchable first act and poor second act. At 100 minutes this movie feels like it drags on for forever. Overall, The Sun Is Also a Star was an absolutely atrocious movie with barely any redeeming factors.
2.5/10

A Dog's Journey Review

A Dog's Journey is easily one of the biggest movie surprises of the year so far. This movie continues the story of A Dog's Purpose as Bailey begins his quest to look out for his owner's granddaughter. Josh Gad continues to do great voicing all the main dogs. His voice fits perfectly and his comedic moments really land. Dennis Quaid gives a really good performance in a smaller role this time. Betty Gilpin's performance is fine, but her character is so unlikable for the majority of the movie she becomes annoying to watch. Abby Ryder Fortson does a fantastic job playing CJ when she is young. She is incredibly charming and just delightful to watch. Kathryn Prescott does a great job playing teenage and adult CJ. She is immediately likable and handles her emotional scenes perfectly. Henry Lau gives a decent performance and has good chemistry with Prescott but does not have a ton to do. Gail Mancuso did a really good job directing. The movie looks great and the way certain scenes are shot was very creative. The script is fantastic with likable lead characters and a compelling story. The movie might be a little overly emotional manipulative, but that did not stop me from crying numerous times throughout. I do want to stress while this movie might be PG, this is not a kids movie. The story deals with some extremely heavy and dark topics that kids will not understand. At 109 minutes the pacing is good though it does occasionally drag. Overall, A Dog's Journey was a massive surprise and really connected with me emotionally.
8/10

John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum Review

John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum is easily the worst of the series but still a great action movie in its own right. This movie picks up immediately after Part 2 and is about John Wick on the run from an assassins guild with no help and a 14 million dollar bounty on his head. Keanu Reeves turns in another fantastic performance as the title character. He continues to be incredible in the action scenes while just being an extremely likable presence. Halle Berry gives a great performance in her supporting role. She has a good dynamic with Reeves and is mindblowing in her action scene. Asia Kate Dillion gives a good performance. Their character is in many of the films weaker scenes, but they play the part well. Lance Reddick really gets to shine this time. He has numerous standout moments. Mark Dacascos gives a great performance in the action scenes, but I found his character to be a bit too over the top. Ian McShane and Laurence Fishburne continue to be fantastic in their supporting roles. Chad Stahelski did an incredible job directing. The action scenes of this series continue to be some of the best ever put to film. The script is where this movie falters. The start is incredibly strong with almost one long action scene. The second act slows down dramatically and is only saved by the scenes with Halle Berry's character. The movie also makes the baffling decision to explain Wick's past and give him weird motivations. Things pick back up for the awesome action-packed finale. At 131 minutes the first and third act flies by, but the movie does slow down way too much in its second act. Overall John Wick: Chapter 3 is a great action movie, but fails to live up to the perfection of the first two films.
8.5/10

Tolkien Review

Tolkien was a mediocre biopic with good performances. This movie is inspired by the life of J.R.R. Tolkien and tells his life story. Nicholas Hoult gives a good performance. He plays Tolkien well in the school scenes but struggles with other parts. Lily Collins gives a great performance. She nails her emotional scenes and any scene she shares with Hoult is easily the films' best. The supporting cast all turn in fine but unmemorable performances. Dome Karukoski's direction is okay. He handles the school scenes well, but his war scenes are bland and tensionless. The script is a mixed bag. When the movie is focusing on his school life I was really invested but everything else was a total bore. At 112 minutes the pacing is bad with a dull and boring first act and a second and third act that never remain consistent. The editing in this movie is noticeably awful. It is extremely choppy and makes keeping up with the order of events difficult. Overall Tolkien is a bland and mediocre biopic saved by its two lead performances.
5/10

Poms Review

Poms is a mediocre comedy that starts weak and never quite hits its stride. This movie is about a group of women in a retirement home who decide to start a cheerleading club. Diane Keaton gives a really good performance. She has good comedic timing and sells the dramatic moments well. Jacki Weaver gives an okay performance. She has a few funny moments but when she is not being funny her character is annoying. Rhea Perlman and Bruce McGill are the highlights of this movie. They had all of the funniest moments. Alisha Boe also gives a good performance in her supporting role. Zara Hayes' direction is very bland and looks more like a tv show than a movie. The script is not without funny moments, even including a few hilarious parts. However, the first act of this movie is painfully unfunny and hard to get through. Things pick up in the second act but the movie never has the jokes coming quite as fast as it needed. At 91 minutes the pacing is good, once you get past the awful first act. Overall, Poms was not without its moments but its awful start brings it down a lot.
5/10

The Hustle Review

The Hustle is a fun comedy with two entertaining leads. This movie is about two female con-artists who decide to make a tech billionaire their next mark. Anne Hathaway gives a great performance. Her accent takes some getting used to but she has spot-on comedic timing. Rebel Wilson gives a good performance. She has a fun dynamic with Hathaway and gets to shine most in scenes they share. Chris Addison does a fine job directing. The locals are beautiful to look at, but he never does anything unique. The script is a mixed bag. The lead characters are fun to watch but the movie was lacking some massive laughs. Instead, we just get a movie with just enough funny moments to keep you invested throughout. At 93 minutes the pacing is good, but slow at the start. The first act often goes too long without a laugh but things pick up at the start of the second act. Overall, The Hustle is a perfectly fine comedy with fun leads and just enough funny moments.
6/10