Air & Tetris Movie Reviews

Here are two more of my very short “8 line paragraph that fits into the Letterboxd feed” reviews. Was gonna post these with my Barbie review last week but then I rambled on about that one for ages. (Loved it)

These were good too. Finally! Some decent 2023 films!

Air (2023)

Directed by Ben Affleck

Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, Viola Davis

Plot Synopsis: (via Wikipedia)
The film is based on true events about the origin of Air Jordan, a basketball shoeline, of which a Nike employee seeks to strike a business deal with rookie player Michael Jordan.

My Opinion:

Surprised how good a movie about shoes ended up being. Topped my 2023 list until seeing Barbie. I feel like really good “inspiring true story” movies used to be far more common. I miss them. Films have just been so disappointing the past few years. Damon was very good, Affleck wasn’t too annoying, the story was fantastic, and the soundtrack was great. Good stuff!

My Rating: 8/10

Tetris (2023)

Directed by Jon S. Baird

Starring: Taron Egerton, Nikita Efremov, Sofia Lebedeva, Anthony Boyle

Plot Synopsis: (via Wikipedia)
The film is based on true events around the race to license and patent the video game Tetris from Russia in the late 1980s during the Cold War.

My Opinion:

Enjoyed this. Didn’t think a movie about getting the rights to a video game would be that good but it really is a fascinating story. Does drag a bit in the middle (I may have snoozed) and this year’s movie about a video game isn’t as good as the movie about shoes. But it’s certainly one of the better straight-to-streaming films we’ve had the past few years.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Broker, Watcher, The Greatest Beer Run Ever & Juno Movie Reviews

Three 2022 films today & a rewatch from 2007…

Broker (2022) (Korean: 브로커)

Directed & Written by Hirokazu Kore-eda

Starring: Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Bae Doona, Lee Ji-eun, Lee Joo-young

Plot Synopsis: (via Wikipedia)
The film revolves around characters associated with baby boxes, which allow infants to be dropped off anonymously to be cared for by others.

My Opinion:

Liked Hirokazu Kore-eda‘s Shoplifters but feel the same about both. Both are good but didn’t have the emotional impact I was expecting and I didn’t fully buy into the characters. Not sure why. But I enjoyed seeing Song Kang-ho again, the baby was adorable, and it’s still a better film than the majority of current English language films. Certainly worth a watch.

My Rating: 7/10

Watcher (2022)

Directed by Chloe Okuno

Starring: Maika Monroe, Karl Glusman, Burn Gorman

Plot Synopsis: (via IMDb)
A young American woman moves with her husband to Bucharest, and begins to suspect that a stranger who watches her from the apartment building across the street may be a local serial killer decapitating women.

My Opinion:

This was decent. I thought Maika Monroe would be a bigger star by now. This had a nice, tense atmosphere that I appreciated but I can see some not liking this as it’s another “slow burn” thriller where absolutely nothing happens until the final act. The tension worked for me, though, so was worth a watch but it’s not one I’d feel the need to ever watch again.

My Rating: 7/10

The Greatest Beer Run Ever (2022)

Directed by Peter Farrelly

Based on The Greatest Beer Run Ever by John “Chickie” Donohue & Joanna Molloy

Starring: Zac Efron & Russell Crowe

Plot Synopsis: (via Wikipedia)
The film stars Zac Efron and Russell Crowe, and follows the true story of Donohue, who as a young veteran sneaks into the Vietnam War to deliver some beer to his friends, who are serving their duty.

My Opinion:

This is certainly an odd & interesting true story but maybe Zac Efron was the wrong choice to play this role. Russell Crowe really outshines Efron when he appears. The movie picks up a lot at the end with Crowe’s presence – the rest of the movie needed that sort of energy. Not a bad film but I feel like a better one could’ve been made from this outrageous story.

My Rating: 6.5/10

Juno (2007)

Directed by Jason Reitman

Written by Diablo Cody

Starring: Elliot Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, J. K. Simmons

Plot Synopsis: (via Wikipedia)
Page stars as the title character, an independent-minded teenager confronting her unplanned pregnancy and the subsequent events that put pressures of adult life onto her.

My Opinion:

Felt like rewatching this one that I liked a lot when it came out. Still really enjoyed it but the “Check me out, I’m SO quirky & indie!” soundtrack got on my nerves a bit this time. Still think it’s a well-written film with a great performance from Page, though. Janney, Simmons & Garner are also good. I’m still a fan.

My Rating: 8/10

Game Night (2018) Review

Game Night (2018)

Directed by John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein

Starring: Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Billy Magnussen, Sharon Horgan, Lamorne Morris, Kylie Bunbury, Jesse Plemons, Michael C. Hall, Kyle Chandler

Plot Synopsis: (via Wikipedia)
Game Night follows a group of friends whose game night turns into a real-life mystery.

My Opinion:

I enjoyed this film and it’s a shame we don’t get many movies like this nowadays. I’m very picky when it comes to comedy and rarely like current films in the genre so I often avoid them completely. Game Night has the right blend of clever humor as well as an entertaining story. It’s not going to change the world and it’s not some all-time comedy classic but at least you won’t feel like you’ve actually lost brain cells just by watching it. It’s a fun popcorn movie that doesn’t treat its audience like complete morons.

Hey – this was co-directed by the little brother from Freaks And Geeks. I love that show!!! Anyone else love that show? But, FYI – this movie is nothing like the output from other Freaks And Geeks alumni (such as Seth Rogen). Game Night is better than that. Here’s the Freaks And Geeks kid (he’s 32 now. When did I get so old?!):

Speaking of TV shows for old people like me, I had a crush on Jason Bateman back in the 1980s. Not so much from Silver Spoons but from the thoroughly underrated, hilarious, ahead-of-its-time It’s Your Move. People couldn’t handle that sort of humor back then as I suppose it wasn’t all warm & fuzzy like Growing Pains or something. Anyway, Bateman had great comedic chops from a young age and I’m always happy to see him in stuff now. Maybe I should finally check out Arrested Development?! Or Horrible Bosses? Did I just use the words “comedic chops”?? Bateman & Rachel McAdams are really funny in this, playing a married couple who are both extremely competitive when it comes to their Game Nights with their friends.

I don’t know what else to say about this as comedy is so subjective but I would think I could recommend it to most people who are around the same sort of age as me (which is right in between the ages of Bateman & McAdams). The humor isn’t exactly subtle but it’s not the outrageous in-your-face stuff like in Bridesmaids, etc. It might not be one for twentysomethings – It’s probably more for the sort of old farts like me who would have a board game night with friends. I’d love game nights with the right group of people! Who wants a board game night with me?? Just please don’t order a kidnapping mystery.

I enjoyed Game Night a lot. It’s fun. The dark humor works. The thriller/action stuff works. The opening titles were really good. Everyone was funny and no one was annoying. Bateman & McAdams were especially good and believable as a married couple. But it’s still not quite as good as Freaks And Geeks or It’s Your Move…

My Rating: 7/10

Is there a scene after the credits? Yes – During the credits as well as one at the very end. Not sure if the final one is worth staying for but I liked it.

He’s so handsome…

The Gift (2015) & Coherence (2013) Reviews

Okay, these two aren’t horror films but they’re “mystery thrillers” (one a sci-fi mystery thriller) and it feels right to review them as part of October Horror Month. I love a good thriller! And these two weren’t too bad. Let’s discuss… 

The Gift (2015)

Directed & Written by Joel Edgerton

Starring: Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton, Tim Griffin, Allison Tolman, Beau Knapp, P.J. Byrne, David Denman, Busy Philipps, Wendell Pierce, Katie Aselton, Mirrah Foulkes, Nash Edgerton

Plot Synopsis: (via IMDB)
A young married couple’s lives are thrown into a harrowing tailspin when an acquaintance from the husband’s past brings mysterious gifts and a horrifying secret to light after more than 20 years.

My Opinion:

I thought this was a good film in terms of “psychological mind-fuckery”. I love psychological horrors & thrillers and Joel Edgerton’s character was creepy as shit. It’s a hard film to discuss without spoiling the outcome. I’ll just say that the horrible thing that may or may not occur (and it is truly disturbing) is left up to interpretation. I love it when it’s left up to the audience to decide. Did he or didn’t he?! Oh man, I hope not. It’s my own personal opinion that he did NOT. But that’s the whole point of the psychological fuckery behind Edgerton’s character’s motives. It’s a well written psychological thriller and I did enjoy it (despite being somewhat offended and grossed-out…!).

Sorry for the vague review. If you’ve not seen it, it’s better if you don’t know much about it. I’d compare it to another rather random favorite “psychological mind-fuckery” film of mine: Malice starring Nicole Kidman & Alec Baldwin. I’ve not thought of that one in a long time. I can’t exactly say that was a “great” film but it was a thoroughly entertaining thriller. Hmm… Another one that comes to mind is David Fincher’s The Game (although I wouldn’t say The Gift was as good as The Game). Another fun one was Shattered (1991). Overall, The Gift is a decent psychological thriller & I wish more films like this were still made. It feels like we don’t get as many movies within this genre nowadays as we did in the 80s/early 90s. I’d like to see more being made again (even if they’re cheesy like those 80s/early 90s ones often were!). It’s a fun genre.

My Rating: 7/10

Coherence (2013)

Directed & Written by James Ward Byrkit

Starring: Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendon

Plot Synopsis: (via IMDB)
Strange things begin to happen when a group of friends gather for a dinner party on an evening when a comet is passing overhead.

My Opinion:

This movie is very much my type of thing (mindfuck sci-fi!) and I really liked it. I need to see it again, though. This is one of those movies that you’ll probably need to rewatch to catch things you may have missed the first time around. So, hey hubby! I know you were annoyed I watched this without you. I’ll rewatch it with you sometime! 😉

I’ll say it starts out quite slow and some of the friends who’ve gathered for a dinner party had the potential to really get on my nerves. Why are people at dinner parties in movies so annoying? Who the hell has dinner parties in real life anyway? Maybe I just have no class. If you come to my house, I’ll just order a pizza & we can watch a movie! Anyway, this started out a bit like a thriller I reviewed last year for October Horror Month: The Invitation (which I also quite liked despite it starting out with some annoying dinner party wankers). But Coherence gets far more weird than that one. Oh I do love weird!

In reading about this, I read that director & writer James Ward Byrkit was inspired by The Twilight Zone, which would explain why I liked it since that’s my absolute favorite TV series ever. It does have a very Twilight Zone feel. I do have to compare it to a few other movies I’ve seen in the past few years to better give you an idea of what it’s like. By the way, I recommend all these films: Primer (although it was WAY over my head), Predestination (love this crazy time travel mind-bender), and Circle (fantastic story in which a group of 50 strangers wake up in a mysterious room and realize that someone will die every two minutes & that they have the ability to choose who will be next). To be honest, although I thought Coherence was pretty great, I think I was slightly underwhelmed simply because I saw Predestination & Circle first and I thought they were brilliant mindfuck science fiction films. If you watch them, just keep an open mind. Especially with Circle, which seemed very low budget but had such a good story that I didn’t care.

As for Coherence, I’d probably again say it’s best to not know too much beforehand so I’ve not gotten into any specifics about the story. I love the idea that comets could totally mess us up, though. That’s such 1950’s Twilight Zone thinking! I will just say that they don’t all turn into weird comet-zombies like in Night Of The Comet (that movie kicks ass, by the way). 😉 I do recommend this movie to lovers of sci-fi weirdness and promise you’ll enjoy the story after the dinner party wankers stop being annoying once the weird shit starts going down.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Zootropolis (2016) Review

Zootropolis (2016) (aka Zootopia)

Directed by Byron Howard & Rich Moore

Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, J.K. Simmons, Tommy Chong, Octavia Spencer, Jenny Slate, Shakira

Music by: Michael Giacchino

Production company: Walt Disney Pictures

Plot Synopsis: (via IMDB)
In a city of anthropomorphic animals, a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox must work together to uncover a conspiracy.

My Opinion:

I’d seen very positive reviews for this but I made sure to read very little about it & only really looked at the ratings to get the overall vibe that people really liked this one. I mean, this has an 8.4 IMDB rating & is currently ranked at #150 out of the supposed Top 250 of all time. Sorry, but…. No. I still haven’t actually read any of the reviews for this so I’m not sure what people see in it that I clearly missed but I was very disappointed with this outing from Disney. And I’m, for the most part, a big fan of Disney. Sure, it has a lovely message and all that but it’s a shame that Disney let the message get in the way of actually making a good film…

Where do I start? I honestly don’t want this to turn into some long rant (plus I’m a little worried about getting a negative reaction from people). I don’t have the energy to now go & read all the reviews of this here on WordPress plus it’s been out for a few weeks in America and people always just want to move onto the next brand new release. I’ll happily read any comments from anyone who disagrees with me, though. We’ll discuss it & maybe you can talk me into liking this one a little more!

I admit that when a movie has the Disney or Pixar name attached to it, I have much higher standards for it so I know I’m probably being a little too harsh on this movie. It’s not a “bad” kids’ movie. Yes, I’m aware that Zootropolis is first & foremost for kids but it’s still hard to not compare it to something like Wreck-It Ralph, which is a thoroughly enjoyable movie for the entire family. Or The Lego Movie! That wasn’t Disney or Pixar but it was a great, funny film AND it even had a rather deep & meaningful message in the same way Zootropolis does. But the difference is that it felt like The Lego Movie first focused on having an excellent script & characters & making a really fun family film and then concentrated on the film’s fantastic message. With Zootropolis, it feels like the filmmakers came up with the message they wanted to convey first and then tried to write a story around it, resulting in a rather convoluted and far too grown-up plot that I don’t think many kids will have enjoyed that much anyway.

In the end, I think the extremely forced nature of the storyline takes away from the message they’re trying to shove down our kids’ throats. No, wait… To be honest, I think it’s the parents who are having the message shoved down their throats this time. And it’s a message I most certainly agree with but, sorry Disney, you aren’t going to change the ways of the world with a mediocre kids’ film and messy story. I think your message will have been lost on the kids, will have completely gone over the heads of the adults you’re targeting, and will have simply annoyed the adults who do agree with your message and don’t need you to preach to them.

I’ve not yet fully discussed Zootropolis with my kid but I know she understood the message behind The Lego Movie whereas, as I said, I don’t think this one managed to at all get its point across to her and to its young target audience (and she’s very bright, if I do say so myself). 😉 Here’s my attempt to discuss the movie with her: Me: “What was your favorite part of the movie?” My kid: “I don’t know….” *pause* “I don’t think Zootropolis was very good”. Well, I think that kind of says it all.

My Rating: 6/10

P.S. – Disney, please don’t stick pop stars, crappy songs, and current trends such as stupid phone apps into your movies. You’ve instantly dated your film. Stick with Pixar, who know how to make a timeless classic. The worst thing I can say about Zootropolis is that I walked out of it feeling like I’d just watched a DreamWorks movie. That’s a step in very much the wrong direction.