Reviews by BAMF

I remember watching the trailer for this awhile back. I thought it looked amusing even if a little bit of a cliche. I like the cast of course and seeing Jackie Chan in action movies of course is always pleasant. I've never heard of Wen-Chia Chang but since they are credited as development executive in the writing department I'm sure it had something to do with the dialogue for the cast. Both of the writers only did one other film so far. The only one I recognize is Bachelor Party 2 which is from Jay Longino. Now this is directed by Renny Harlin who many people dislike, but he has directed a few really good movies in my opinion like Deep Blue Sea, 5 Days of War, and Die Hard 2. Anyways let's check this out and see if it was a stinker or something fun.

Okay so let's get this straight I thought it was enjoyable. It does feel like a huge copy of Rush Hour though replaced with Johnny Knoxville as a criminal rather than Chris Tucker as a cop. Also I would have preferred to see a Rush Hour 4, but that's besides the point. The action is on the money as usual for Jackie Chan. The guy still does his own stunts which is incredible. What's with Jackie Chan and having to fight a huge guy? It's become a cliche and is another reason I felt like they copied Rush Hour a bit. I thought Eve Torres was going to be awful considering she comes from WWE, but she came off as being one of my favorite characters. Plus her accent was actually pretty good. The twists and turns were predictable. Still there were many good points in the movie like the "Rolling in the Deep" scene and the fact the horse pooping was completely ignored in one scene. The ending was also amusing.

So despite being a Rush Hour like movie with cliches and predictability I thought it was a fairly enjoyable watch. I liked the characters and Eve Torres was a surprise. I think many wouldn't like it because of the reasons I have stated, but for a fan of Jackie Chan it's worth at least checking out once. The action is really what we are all here to see anyways.

This movie right here had a very unusual trailer to it. Yet whenever I was on Netflix it would grab my attention with it's look and title. The cast is small with only a few recognizable faces. It's directed by Oz Perkins who is legendary horror actor Anthony Perkins' son. With that I was even more intrigued about this film. The ratings are very poor, but I always like to put my own judgement into things. So let's give this a shot.

This has to be one of the strangest most surreal ghost stories I've seen. It's not your run of the mill ghost stories. There are a lot of lingering shots and it moves very slow. It's beautifully shot and the imagery is nice to look at. I actually pleasantly enjoyed the poetic dialogue. It was just altogether different and moving.

This wasn't what I was expecting or hoping for. I can see why people don't appreciate it though. It's very different to what a casual viewer would hope for. It's also not a great film in my opinion. Yet I do think it is good and interesting for what it does offer. I think it's worth checking out once if you have an open mind.

I was never really a huge Ratchet and Clank fan. I played parts of it when I was at my friend's house, but I never had the games myself. My friend was the super fan though. I watched him play a fair amount and it was an amusing game. I saw the trailer for this and it looked decent enough. It has an excellent cast with a few very unexpected choices. Also the voices of Ratchet and Clank play their characters which is cool. This is the only film directed by Jerrica Cleland and not much else is from her. Although Kevin Munroe is known for TMNT and Dylan Dog both of which weren't well received. This is the only film credit for Daniel Nascimento. T.J. Fixman also did another film that looks like nobody has heard of about Popeye. Gerry Swallow however did work on Ice Age: The Meltdown as well as Black Knight. My friend of course loved it and recommended checking it out. So without further ado I decided to check this and see if it works for others rather than just fans.

So let's get into the meat of this. First of all it plays with a lot of inside jokes as well as dealing with several bits from the games. It also does a lot of jokes that push the fourth wall. One in particular I thought was a very amusing way to take on an old joke. The action is alright, but it could have been a little more entertaining in that department. The characters were likable and amusing. The voice acting was great. Anyways despite not being a huge fan I still enjoyed myself.

It's definitely a movie for the fans, but if you are somewhat familiar with the story you will appreciate it. As for those who know nothing of the source material I'm not sure it will interest you. There may be jokes and such you find amusing. Though I would think the references to the games will fly right over. In any case it's not a bad movie, but it really was made with fans in mind.

Notes:
*I have been meaning to watch this for a bit now.
*My dad shared the trailer and upon checking it out I thought it would be interesting.
*I really like the main stars of course.
*Morten Tyldum also directed The Imitation Game which got nominated for several awards.
*I just watched Doctor Strange last month which was also written by Jon Spaihts.
*So let's finally see how this fairs with such talent.

Pros:
*It really is like a space version of Titanic just with a "happier" ending.
*The acting was great and the characters were likable.
*Jennifer Lawrence have mercy!
*Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence have great chemistry.

Cons:
*I think I would have liked it to have ended a bit differently.
*Andy Garcia was cruelly underused.

Verdict:
So this was the movie that Chris Pratt had a beard for that made him look much different. I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, but I actually really enjoyed it. The chemistry between the mains was very good. Overall it was a pretty good watch with interesting ideas. I think it's definitely worth checking out.

Notes:
*I have been wanting to check this out for awhile.
*From what I hear it sounds like a mash-up of Splice, Ex-Machina, and Lucy.
*It has a pretty neat cast which is a plus.
*Luke Scott also directed two shorts one called Loom and the other was the prologue to Alien: Covenant.
*Seth W. Owen has written a few other things of which I haven't heard of.
*So let's find out if this is just underrated or really just not that good.

Pros:
*It was interesting to see Kate Mara out of her comfort zone.
*I really enjoyed all the characters.
*The acting was better than I had expected.
*The story itself even if predictable keeps you entertained.

Cons:
*It's a bit predictable and I saw the twist coming from the very beginning.
*The fight scenes felt a bit odd.
*The kills were a bit bland and forgettable.

Verdict:
It does share a lot of aspects with the aforementioned films as well as Stranger Things in some ideas as well. The characters are likable and memorable. The acting was pretty good. It was predictable, but the story was still enjoyable. I think I can see why it didn't do well, but it's not a bad movie. I think it's worth a one time watch if you are feeling curious.

Notes:
*You know before this was thought up I do recall talking to my friends and mentioning that if I were to cast someone in a live action Assassin's Creed it would be Michael Fassbender.
*I feel like casting is my calling given the circumstances lol.
*It has a pretty interesting cast with a wide range of recognizable names and faces.
*This is directed by Justin Kurzel who also did Snowtown and the very strange Fassbender Macbeth film.
*Michael Lesslie also wrote Macbeth for Justin Kurzel.
*Adam Cooper and Bill Collage have worked on several films together including Exodus: Gods and Kings, Accepted, and Tower Heist.
*Critics and such don't like this one and video game movies hardly ever get a good note.
*With that said I have a friend who loves the games, made a short for it, and loved the movie. He constantly asks if I have seen it or not.
*So without further ado it's time to see if the critics are being too negative or my friend to hyped.

Pros:
*It pays homage to the games while not feeling like the typical video game film.
*Michael K. Williams is pretty awesome in general, but this made me want to see him in more action films. He just looked badass.
*The acting was excellent of course given the talent involved.
*The fight scenes are fun and what I was hoping for.
*The story was good and kept me invested.
*This is by far my favorite Justin Kurzel film easily.
*The Animus here was way cooler than in the games.

Cons:
*I would have liked to see Michael K. Williams do more.
*There were a few moments that felt like the cheap route.
*The ending credits are really long with no stinger to them.

Verdict:
For me this gave me exactly what I expected and wanted. The action was great. The characters were excellent. The story was interesting enough. I think people didn't think to give this a real chance. It's far from bad and doesn't even feel like a video game based movie. I'm glad they decided to do their own story as well. I really think it's worth giving it a fair chance.

Notes:
*I love Groundhog Day based stories as they are almost always fun.
*I never got around to watching this until today sadly.
*My friend had told me it was worth watching though.
*It has a small cast with a few recognizable faces including an alumni from Degrassi show I wasn't expecting.
*Outside of television this is Tony Elliott's first feature film as writer and director.
*Anyways let's see how this if this really is worth checking out.

Pros:
*That was a whole lot of fun.
*It reminded me of Edge of Tomorrow (or any Groundhog Day type movie obviously) meets Time Lapse meets The Deaths of Ian Stone.
*The chemistry between the characters was great.
*It was cool to see Jacob Neayem play a different sort of character than I'm used to.
*There was a decent amount of action.
*Twist and turns were great and plenty.
*The ending was pretty neat and fun.

Cons
*I do wish there were more loops.
*Now I want more which I can't get.

Verdict:
For fans of good time loop stories I say this was totally worth the watch. It doesn't deal with a huge amount of loops like the typical ones, but it utilizes that to its advantage. The acting is good and the characters are interesting. The story is enough to keep you invested. I would watch again for sure. Again it's definitely worth checking out.

Notes:
*I knew about this movie for a long while.
*My parents watched it and I believe we owned it at some point.
*I recall them liking it at least I think I do.
*Anyways it's another Bill Paxton film I decided to check out that I haven't seen.
*The cast has some really good choices and some who have become more relevant today.
*This was the first film Bill Paxton directed the next one was The Greatest Game Ever Played which was also really good.
*This is the first film written by Brent Hanley and the only one I ever heard of.
*Thanks to Netflix for pulling out stuff you forget about.
*So let's see if this is yet another good performance from the legend Bill Paxton.

Pros:
*Bill Paxton is awesome here and we get a good amount of him here.
*The story was unique and fun.
*I did get vibes of say The Usual Suspects meets The Sixth Sense sort of.
*I like the mystery of the whole thing.
*There are some really great moments throughout.
*The ending was excellent.

Cons:
*I would have liked the kills to be more intense even if it wasn't the focus.
*It left me curious on a couple things.
*There are some moments that felt a little silly.

Verdict:
This is definitely one film I wish I would have seen sooner. The acting was great. Bill Paxton does an excellent job on and off screen. It keeps you interested from start to finish. It also keeps you wondering what is really going on. Really this one definitely needs to be seen if you haven't yet.

Notes:
*I had no ideas whatsover before checking this out.
*All I knew is that I was bored and on Netflix.
*Also really the only reason I picked this one is because Samira Wiley was in the cast.
*This is the only film from Puk Grasten.
*So let's see what this is all about.

Pros:
*Seeing Samira Wiley again other than Orange is the New Black.
*The acting was really excellent even from the kids.

Cons:
*It mostly focuses on three main kids two of which are extremely odd.
*The vibe from the movie feels extremely awkward and out of touch with reality.
*I didn't like the surreal feel to the film.
*The murder just doesn't feel like an important part of the film even considering that is what it's supposed to be about.
*There aren't even 37 characters in the movie!
*I would have liked to see perspectives from 37 different characters or something along those lines to match the title.
*I just really couldn't get into it as it made no sense.

Verdict:
This was one of the weirdest and most lackluster movies that deal with a true story. The acting was actually really good though. Just the plotting, directing, and generally the script just sucked. I don't know what the movie was trying to convey or what the focus was. It felt more about three odd kids and their families rather than one about a murder. Give this one a hard pass as you will surely be disappointed.

Notes:
*I knew nothing about this until it popped up on Netflix.
*The cast was interesting with Josh Peck and Tony Revolori leading the charge.
*I watched the trailer and it looked decent enough.
*It's actor Chester Tam's first crack at writing and directing a film.
*So I decided to go ahead and give it a shot.

Pros:
*It has some pretty funny moments through it.
*Chester Tam is honestly one of my favorite thing about this.
*I always appreciate seeing actors playing roles against type like Chester Tam and Josh Peck do here.
*Cleopatra Coleman is the other!

Cons:
*Some of the jokes were kind of boring.
*Cleopatra Coleman wasn't in it enough.
*It reminded me too much of Dope in a sense which coincidentally has Tony Revolori in it.

Verdict:
It was a decent enough movie from a first timer. I don't really think it could have been much better. The characters were interesting enough. The story though felt too much like Dope and not quite as gripping. I still enjoyed it for a one time watch.