My Own Little World

Blockers is surprising. I didn’t expect most of the things I got from this seemingly conventional comedy. It has a surprising amount of heart and great cast chemistry, though not between who you might think. This is a type of film that for me rarely rises above mediocre, but upon leaving the theater I was quite entertained. The thing that sold me throughout Blockers was the three girls. They aren’t the central characters, but every scene they are in stole the show. I don’t know whether it was the writing or the acting, but either way these girls had incredible chemistry on screen that made me believe every word of dialogue they said. Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Gideon Adlon do so much to ensure that I only see their characters on screen, and for actresses this young and this new to the game, that is quite an impressive feat. The rest of the cast is fine, but the lead adults can at times overstay their welcome. John Cena is the one that proves his worth ...

One of the hardest things for any film to do is to be human. True humanity is extremely hard to capture in the pre-planned conversations of a script or in the often-visionary lens of a director’s camera. Even going to such lengths as filming the same cast over twelve years (looking at you, Boyhood ) does not guarantee that a movie can be a true slice of life. Somehow, some way, Greta Gerwig, in her first film in the director’s chair no less, has made one of the most genuinely human films I have ever seen. Lady Bird is an organic piece of cinematic art that doesn’t try to be terribly artistically original or innovative; it simply tells a human coming-of-age story, and it does it better than nearly any other film I have seen. As much as I’d love to claim that there is no one aspect of the film that helps this, ultimately the film rests on the shoulders of its cast. Without the amazing performances from Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Lucas Hedges, and everyone else involved, t...

One of the things I hate most in the film industry is blatant cash grabs. Adam Sandler does it, reboots do it, and superhero movies do it all the time (*cough* Fant4stic *cough*). It might not surprise you, then, that one of my least favorite sections of Hollywood is the Christian film industry. The fact that Pureflix (the most prominent Christian independent studio of recent years) is making a sequel to God’s Not Dead makes me sick because I know that it will be just as bad as (but most likely worse than) the original and pander to its target audience in the same way. I try to give them a chance with most of their new releases, but it’s getting really hard to do so, especially after the last film of theirs I saw. I’m Not Ashamed is one of the worst films I have ever seen. It’s very poorly acted, overly sterilized to where it cannot land its emotional punches, and is made in a way that makes it a complete waste of time. Films like this that talk about my Christian faith in such...

I was going to write this review a few days earlier than I did. I saw Spider-Man: Homecoming  last Tuesday, and afterwards I left the theater feeling slightly underwhelmed. I knew what I had just seen was good, but I was most definitely not wowed by what I saw. To be honest, I am not the biggest fan of Spider-Man in the first place, and I have never thoroughly enjoyed a film starring the character. It has nothing to do with cinematic quality but entirely with tone. The Raimi trilogy often felt too campy, while the Andrew Garfield films felt like they veered too much into conventional comic book film territory. Homecoming  definitely felt more in my wheelhouse than any prior Spider-Man film, but I still didn't love it. Two days later, I was watching the trailers prior to Dunkirk , Christopher Nolan's latest film (which I'll have a review of very soon), and suddenly something clicked. Spider-Man: Homecoming  is actually really, really, really good.  This might be...

(I need to open this review with something a little different than usual: a disclaimer. Typically, the reviews on my blog and the ratings I give should be some kind of indication as to whether or not you should watch or listen to something. This time, that is not the case. 13 Reasons Why  depicts sexual assault and suicide in quite graphic manners that could bring emotional and/or mental instability to those who have either gone through these traumatic acts (either as a first or third party), as well as those considering suicide. Therefore, despite the fact that I will give a positive verdict at the end of this review, if the things that the show depicts could be too much for you, then I urge you to not even risk watching this show. Your emotional and mental health is not worth it.) I remember when I read Jay Asher's novel 13 Reasons Why . That thing was one heck of a way to tell the story of a dead girl in a fresh way, and that made me want to see how it could be depicted on...