Crawl Review

Crawl is a shockingly fun and tense creature thriller despite its weak start. This movie is about a girl and her father who become trapped in their house, surrounded by alligators during a Category 5 Hurricane. Kaya Scodelario gives a great performance. She has a likable presence and nails the physical elements of the role. Barry Pepper gives a good performance. He does not have a ton to do but I bought the father-daughter relationship between him and Scodelario. Alexandre Aja did a great job directing. The creature scenes are extremely intense while never being so stupid that I checked out of the film. He teeters the realism line perfectly. The visual effects on the gators are quite impressive especially considering the lower budget. At 87 minutes the first 15 or so minutes of plot setup is pretty weak but necessary to the film. However, the moment the first alligator shows up I became immediately locked in and the movie never lost me. Overall, Crawl was not cinematic art but it was a really fun creature feature and a lot better than I expected it to be.
7/10

Stuber Review

Stuber is an okay comedy anchored by two likable leads. This movie is about a vision-impaired cop who recruits an Uber driver to take him everywhere to solve the case. As the mismatched duo spends more time together, chaos begins to ensue. Kumail Nanjiani gives a decent performance. His jokes are all over the place. When they hit they are hilarious but when they miss they are very cringeworthy. Dave Bautista gives a good performance. He has  great comedic timing and his dynamic with Nanjiani is the only reason the film works at all. Iko Uwais is wasted as the villain. Michael Dowse did a fine, albeit unspectacular, job directing. The action scenes are fun but have too much shaky cam to ever be fully enjoyed. The script is a mixed bag. This movie has a lot of jokes that completely miss. However, it did have enough that hit and the movie made me laugh often enough to stay invested. At 95 minutes this movie feels way longer than it is and takes far too long to get going. Once the main plot kicks in it remains modestly enjoyable throughout. Overall, Stuber is a mediocre comedy that works purely because of the dynamic between the leads. I enjoyed it enough but this is easily a rental film.
6/10

Midsommar Review

Midsommar is not for most audiences, but film fans will find this is a fun yet extremley disturbing journey you must watch at least once. This movie is about a young couple and their friends who visit a friends rural home for a once in a century festival. As time passes they begin to realize there may be strange things going on unknown to them. Florence Pugh gives an incredible performance. Her character has an insane amount of layers and she plays even the most subtle aspects perfectly. Jack Reynor gives a great performance. This is easily the best work I have seen from him and his strong dynamic with Pugh is the core of the film. Will Poulter brings some much-needed levity to the film with his very comedic performance. Vilhelm Blomgren also impresses in his supporting role. Ari Aster does a fantastic job directing. This is a very slow deliberately paced movie that you have to be patient with as the movie subtlety tells you its story. The script is great but very minimalistic. There are many scenes with just characters having normal conversations or scenes without much dialogue at all. I want to also stress the weird and disturbing nature of this film. If you are not okay with messed up themes and imagery this movie is not for you. The cinematography is stunning with many disturbingly beautiful shots. At 147 minutes the pacing is intentionally a slow build that pays off, but you have to wait through a lot of build-up. That was not an issue for me but it will be for some people. Overall, Midsommar has a very small audience that it’ll work for but for hardcore films fans or experimental moviegoers this is a journey worth experiencing.
8/10

Spider-Man: Far From Home Review

Spider-Man: Far From Home is a fantastic film and the best Spider-Man film yet. This movie is about Peter Parker aka Spider-Man whose European vacation is interrupted when monsters begin causing natural disasters all over the world. Tom Holland continues to be the perfect casting for the title role. He nails Peter’s awkwardness while also not missing a beat as the more snarky Spider-Man. Jake Gyllenhaal gives a fantastic performance as Mysterio, a new superhero who befriends Peter. The way he plays the character will please newcomers and hardcore fans alike. Zendaya gives a great performance and is much improved here from the last film. Her dynamic and chemistry with Holland is off the chart and is easily one of the best romances in any comic book film. Jon Favreau finally gets his chance to shine in a small but crucial supporting role. He is involved in some of the film's best scenes. Sam Jackson turns in yet another strong and funny performance as Nick Fury. Marisa Tomei has less to do this time, but is still quite good in her reduced role. Jacob Batalon and Angourie Rice are hilarious in their side plot. Jon Watts did an incredible job directing. While he already nailed the high school dynamic in the previous film it was lacking in the action department. This movie fixes that issue by keeping the high school element as strong as ever while considerably ramping up the action sequences. This is the best Spider-Man action we’ve ever seen. One sequence, in particular, is one of my favorite scenes in any comic book film ever. The visual effects are all fantastic and never broke my immersion. At 129 minutes the pacing is very good. If I had any flaw for this movie it would be that despite never being boring you do feel the length of the runtime. Overall, Spider-Man: Far From Home is yet another fantastic entry into the MCU and should please casuals and hardcore fans alike.
9.5/10
P.S. There are two post-credits scenes that you must stay for.

Yesterday Review

Yesterday was a fun and unique take on the romance and musical genres. This movie is about Jack Malik who, after waking up from a bike accident, is the only person in the world who remembers The Beatles. Himesh Patel gives a great performance. He is an excellent singer while also handling the dramatic scenes very well. Lily James gives a fantastic performance. She has incredible chemistry with Patel and their dynamic is the strongest part of the film. Ed Sheeran gives a surprisingly strong performance in his supporting role. Kate McKinnon gives an okay performance. While she has moments, for the most part, her character was so over the top it took me out of the movie. Joel Fry is a lot of fun in his small supporting role as Patel’s friend. Danny Boyle did a great job directing. The musical scenes are a lot of fun and the movie just consistently has a really pleasant feel to it. The script is really good but has some weakness. Inherently the premise of this movie is very gimmicky and in the second act of the film, they struggle to keep it interesting. However, the dynamic between the main characters is always strong and carries the movie through weaker scenes. At 116 minutes the movie moves at a good pace though it does drag in the second act. The first act is by far the film's strongest, but not to the point it overshadows the rest of the movie. Overall Yesterday was not without its flaws but was a very fun and enjoyable twist on the romantic musical genre.
7.5/10

Annabelle Comes Home Review

Annabelle Comes Home is one of the better movies in the Conjuring Universe and the best of the Annabelle series. This movie is about the Warren’s daughter and her two baby sisters who awaken the evil spirit trapped in the doll. McKenna Grace gives a great performance. She helps ground the more ridiculous scenes while also making us care about her. Madison Iseman gives a really good performance. There is not a ton to her character but she is likable enough to root for. Katie Sarife gives a decent performance. It improves later on in the film but in the first half she is so stupid she is impossible to like. Michael Cimino is a lot of fun in his small supporting role. The best part of this movie is the return of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. They are the heart of this franchise and their small role here is no exception. Gary Dauberman did a great job directing. This is a jump scare fest but he wisely fakes us out numerous times so we do not always see them coming. The script is fine with likable enough characters. The story here is minimal and the movie plays more like a haunted house experience than a film. At 106 minutes the movie has slow parts. The start is strong and very intriguing but not a ton happens in the second act. However, the third act is pure horror fun with plenty of new creepy demons and a pace that does not slow down. Overall, Annabelle Comes Home is another fun entry into the Conjuring Universe and the best spinoff yet.
6.5/10

Anna Review

Anna is a needlessly over convoluted spy thriller that kept me invested throughout. This movie is about a model named Anna, who is secretly a spy for the KGB. Saha Luss gives a fantastic performance. She nails the physicality of the action scenes while also selling me on the emotional side of her character. Hellen Mirren gives a good performance in her supporting role. Luke Evans and Cillian Murphy both give great performances but they are severely underutilized. Luc Besson did an excellent job directing. The action scenes are incredibly fluid and brutal and the movie has a very sleek feel about it. Besson's screenplay though has some serious issues. The core story is great and compelling but the movie has a ridiculous amount of time skips with many of them being completely pointless. Also, this movie has an insane amount of sexual scenes which will turn people off. At 119 minutes the pacing is really good hardly ever slowing down though the time jumps make it hard to keep up with how far into the story we are. Overall, Anna is a very flawed movie and will not be for everyone, but I personally remained invested throughout.
7/10