Movies in Review: "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle"

Jumanji was definitely the movie I was most looking forward to this weekend, the bonus was that my 5yr old sidekick was also super interested in seeing this film. The film boasts a PG-13 rating, so I was a little worried it wasn't right for someone his age, but I also he has seen worse, so I still took my chances. The buzz around this film had me with the highest expectations, especially since the first film was so amazing, a sequel was real ambitious. With an outstanding cast, I think everyone wanted to know how the film faired with the passing of Robin Williams.~fingers crossed

What really drove this movie was definitely the cast. The action wasn't as great as I had hoped, but the entertainment value was still on 100. My kid had a ball watching this film and was laughing and jumping with excitement all over his seat. I had to tell him to calm down more than a few times (yes films excite him as much as me...lol). What I loved is the Jumanji characters played by Rock, Hart, Black and cast acted just like the people they were in the real world. That definitely upped the comedic factor. Rock and Hart are a great comedic pair, but you add in Jack Black made it even more magical. I am still laughing at some of the exchanges that were had on-screen. A very well cast film. 

This movie has some great moments, and the best part is that it is laugh out loud funny. I took my 5yr old and he loved it. The audience was filled with other young viewers who also had a ball, so I'd call this family fun entertainment. I enjoyed this movie as much as I had hoped to, and I think you will too...A-

Movies in Review: "The Greatest Showman"

I seriously believe they did a great job with the marketing for this film. I was the advertising and marketing that peaked my interest for this film. I liked the trailer, but felt I could take it or leave, and wasn't pressed either way. However it surely became my 2nd movie of interest for this weekend by its release. The cast looked remarkable, but I seriously think the soundtrack also had great deal to do with my decision to see this film as well. I was hoping for great things from The Greatest Showman!

Ok...so call me stupid, but I totally missed that this film is a musical...I wasn't ready. The singing started and I remember feeling annoyed and I didn't think I would be able to sit through a musical (I have to be in the mood). I wanted to give this movie a chance, so I kept myself seated, and I'm happy I did. The movie and singing started out a bit slow, but as more and more characters were introduced the magic started to happen. The singing and choreography gave me goosebumps and chills. The costumes were beautiful, and performances were excellent. Musicals are definitely are definitely where Zac Efron shines, because he was EVERYTHING in this film. Which is an exceptional comment coming from me because I usually find him annoying...lol. Not the case in this film, he was perfect. Everyone was perfect. Can we talk about the singing again. Best film soundtrack this year ~standing ovation. The music was all that for this film...ALL THAT. "Never Enough" by Loren Allred is on repeat for me for the rest of my life...lol.

A very well cast, choreographed, and directed film. The musical performances were exceptional and made the movie everything it needed to be, pure entertainment. I very much enjoyed this film, and probably was the underrated film coming out of the weekend and shouldn't have been. Keep in mind it's a musical, if that's not your thing, but definitely well worth seeing...A-

Movies in Review: "Downsizing"

I am a HUGE Matt Damon fan, so there isn't much I wouldn't see that he's featured in, even that debacle of a film Suburbicon...smh. Unlike Suburbicon, I actually found the trailer for Downsizing to be very interesting. I thought the story seem to offer something fresh, fun and creative. The trailer was also amusing and offered a great cast. This film definitely felt like a winner that I was really looking forward to seeing. My expectations for this film were about average, and it ranked in the top 3 films I wanted to see this weekend.

Downsizing is listed as a comedy-drama, and I guess I was expecting a little more comedy ~shrugs. It had a number of comedic moments, which had a dramatic undertone feel (if that makes sense). The film was wonderfully cast, although Kristen Wiig felt a little out of place. The story also felt a little all over the place, especially at the beginning. However the story picked up when the character Ngoc Lan Tran entered. In my opinion, earlier scenes could have been edited to focus more on the story of Damon's character and the people like Tran. This was the best part of the film, and all the other stuff seemed like a waste and seemed to drag the movie down. There was definitely too much downtime at the beginning of the film. However the film did progress well, then sort of got weird again in the end. 

This was a decent movie, but was filled with a lot of stuff that wasn't needed and dragged the film down. The best part of the film was Damon and Tran's story, especially Tran. I didn't think Sudeikis's story was necessary, nor the extended party scene shots of Damon’s character...meh. All in all, the meat and potatoes of the film are great. It's the unwanted appetizers that might have you overlook and miss the main dish...B-

Movies in Review: "Father Figures"

I seriously was going to have a heart attacked this holiday weekend. You guys know I am all about reviewing the latest movie releases, which usually isn't a problem. However, this weekend there were more than 5 movies released!? Omg...can you say ~dead. I guess it wouldn't have been a big problem if I also didn't have interest in seeing all of them. Out of the 5 I had lined up, I knew one would have to go, so I rolled the dice on Pitch Perfect 3, and Father Figures. As you can see Father Figures won. I hadn't been hearing anything great about PP3, and I thought the trailer for the film was just ok. However I found the trailer for Father Figures more hilarious, and figured if I wanted to see a comedy this would be the better choice.

I wish I had chosen Pitch Perfect 3...smh. Father Figures failed at trying to be too funny. The comedy was so extra that it totally missed the mark. Ed Helms and Owen Wilson weren't the best comedic match. I find Helms very funny alone or with someone more evenly matched than Owen Wilson, who I don't find funny very often. The potty jokes the men had about their mom got repetitive and old very quickly. I found myself dosing off more than laughing. The story didn't come together well, then got weirdly dramatic and depressing at the end. A little too dramatic for a comedy in my opinion.

This was definitely my least favorite movie from the bunch. I'm pretty sure I would have gotten a better laugh from Pitch Perfect 3. So if you are looking for a comedy to see this holiday weekend I recommend passing on this one...D

Movies in Review: "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"

I am not a diehard Star Wars fan. As a matter of fact, the Star Wars: The Force Awakens was the first film from this franchise I was able to watch all the way through. These movies have the longest running times for any film franchise which is probably the reason I was never able to watch them when I was young. I just didn't have the patience to sit through a 3hr movie then ~shrugs. However I was surprised how much I enjoyed The Force Awakens, and my excitement when I watched the trailer for The Las Jedi. I thought The Force Awakens was a little corny, but still entertaining enough to have me wanting to see this latest installment. My expectations weren't high, however I did expect this film to be at least as good as the last.

I got far more than I expected from this movie. This was definitely the best Star Wars film so far. I really wish they could get a hold on the running time, but besides that, this film was a master piece. I have found that these Star Wars films can be a bit corny, and at times overloaded with characters and subplots, not the case here. This story was more focused this go round and developed beautifully. This film, in my opinion, was far less corny, but still had the humor you love about these films. Although this film wasn't as fast paced as the other films and lacked some visually riled scenes, the scenes it did have were true works of art. I loved the red salt scenes, very beautifully done. I also loved the chase through the red crystal mine and the mirror scene with Rey, which all had me going "Wow".

Most fans weren't the biggest fans of this film, but it was definitely my favorite to watch. I loved the story, I thought it was easy to follow, and wasn't full of corny lines and characters, which annoyed me about the earlier films. This installment had more balance, which I enjoyed. Again that running time could stand to be decreased, but other than that, this film is a winner...A!

Movies in Review: "Ferdinand"

The kid in me loves a good animated film. Although not all animated features appeal to me, this one definitely did, it also didn't hurt that my kid was also more than excited about this one too. What appealed to me about this film was the cute story and John Cena cast as the bull. I found the casting for this character very fitting and was more than interested to see how Cena would do (although I felt he would be great). I had little doubt my kid and I would enjoy this one.

I was quite surprised the theater had more adults filling the seats than kids. There were actually adult couples checking out the film together. I guess they were fans of the book, which the movie was based...lol. This was definitely a movie that can be enjoyed by all ages, a fun family movie. John Cena was the perfect person to voice Ferdinand, and Kate Mckinnon was voicing Lupe the goat. The movie has a number of interesting characters, but these two were definitely my favorite. The animation wasn't anything out of the box, but was still beautiful and enough to keep the audience's attention. 

Unfortunately this film opened the same weekend as the latest Star Wars film, so it did not get the shine it actually deserved. This film is based on a children's book, which I never read, but I am now going to purchase for my kid's book collection (he loves books). If you are looking for a movie this coming holiday weekend to check with the family, I would recommend Ferdinand, or of course Coco...lol...B+

Movies in Review: "The Shape of Water"

Ok so I only saw the trailer for this film once, and once was enough to let me know I had no interest in seeing this film. I seriously thought the trailer was super weird. The only thing that kept me even a little bit interested in this film was that Octavia Spencer co-starred in it. However I still wasn't checking for it or its release. It wasn't until 2 of my blog supporters reached out to me about whether I had planned to write a review. I was going to pass, but then I started hearing all the buzz surrounding this film, with critical acclaim from critics and several Golden Globe nominations. Perhaps I was missing something? Needless to say, I didn't want to miss out on something great, and decided to take my chance.

Ummmmm...Wth...Not quite sure what all the critical acclaim is about. I mean this movie has great visual appeal and I also very much enjoyed Sally Hawkins performance (which does deserve and nomination), but for the rest of it...come one. You have got to be kidding me with all the buzz surrounding this flick. I felt like I was watching a love story between a human and a Mutant, except this love story was more bizarre. Clearly people were feeling the same way I did. I was in a sold out theater and by the end of the film no one was clapping. All seemed to wondering what the hell we just watched. I cannot contain myself. Best film of the year? GTFOH...to who? Felt like the time critics were raving about The Tree of Life and audiences were walking out on the film. I mean don't get me wrong, it wasn't as bad as that film, I'm just confused about all the award nominations. For the most part it was a decent film, with excellent performances, but also a little weird for my taste.

I know by my review it would see that this film was horrible, not the case at all. Not a bad movie, but if this is considered a masterpiece I will stop watching movies now. This movie was decent and fell in line with what I like about a decent movie. I honestly enjoyed the beginning of the film more than the latter, where I kept looking at the screen trying to get myself to understand what was happening...ijs. You can see it if you want, I'd be interested to know what you think...B-

Movies in Review: "The Disaster Artist"

This film was based on the story of how the cult hit "The Room" came to the big screen. I've never watched The Room, nor did I have any interest, however I did find the trailer for The Disaster Artist to be more than interesting. I'm a fan James Franco and Seth Rogen on screen together. They make hilarious and strangely entertaining films. I laughed each time I watched the trailer, so I knew I wanted to see what this film was about. I became even more interested in the film when I saw how critics were raving over it. I thought their praises would probably prove to be more than the film deserved, but I had to see for myself.

I seriously enjoyed the movie, but I can't say I was singing the same praises as critics...at first. Before seeing the film I researched The Room and read up on Tommy Wiseau, who is a very interesting man. Someone who James Franco did a phenomenal job at portraying. The story of Tommy's and Greg's friendship, and how The Room came about just seemed unreal. I wasn't laughing as hard as other audience members, but I did laugh here and there. You would seriously sit there and think the film was an exaggeration of the actual events, but it wasn't. My favorite part about the film is when they did the side by side comparison of the original film, and the one being depicted in this film. Everyone was spot on, and to see the comparison made the experience of this film so much better.

I can't say I'd ever watch The Room, as it looked pretty horrible from what I could tell in this movie, however The Disaster Artist did spark a little interest to see it. This film is seriously all around crazy, and real. A job well done by the cast with spot-on performances. I enjoyed this movie, but I don't think it's everyone's cup of tea. If you found the trailer entertaining, then I think this is a movie you will enjoy...A-

Movies in Review: "Paddington 2"

My favorite bear Paddington has made its way back to the big screen with a sequel after the success of the first film...Yay! Although not due to be released until January in the US, I was lucky to have been able to grab some pre-screening tickets for me and my little side kick. He wasn't as excited to see the movie as I was, he was more interested in Ferdinand, but I dragged him along with me anyway. I know my kid, and Paddington would definitely appeal to him ~fingers crossed...lol. The first film was amazing, and I had very little doubt the second film would be the same.

Paddington can do no wrong, and all kids should experience the joy this little bear brings. This film was just as cute, charming and entertaining as the first. The story is great and can be enjoyed by all. I love Paddington's films because there is always a great message of what kindness can bring, as well as other inspiring messages to take home with you. This is a movie that can be enjoyed by all. My little sidekick couldn't take his eyes off the screen, shed a tear, laughed, and gave it a standing ovation when the credits rolled. I left the theater feeling much of the same way, less the crying...lol.

We all need movies like these in our lives, feel good entertainment that you'd want to see over and over again. If you loved the first film, there is no doubt in my mind you will enjoy this one. If you haven't seen the first one, then I highly recommend it, especially if you have little ones...A+