Aubrey Plaza. © 2022. Roadside Attractions, Vertical Entertainment, Low Spark Films, Fear Knot Productions, and Evil Hag Productions. Directed by John Patton Ford. Watched it at AMC Theaters
It's more than just a credit card fraud scheme. Committing credit card fraud is pretty bad but you can get away with it if your Aubrey Plaza. This film explores the underground of a credit card scheme and it goes into many depths of layers within the scheme but with the main character. It's an interesting plot and the film itself is very great. It's very slick with its presentation and it's going to be a hidden gem very soon after the film releases on digital. Glad I saw this film in theaters and it's nothing short of a great film. Join me in the underground world of credit card fraud and maybe not get raided by the FBI by making this review. Plot: Saddled with student debt and unable to find work, a college graduate becomes involved in a credit card scam, acting as a dummy shopper and buying increasingly risky products with stolen credit cards. But she learns the ways of doing it and get's into dangerous situations that may end up in jail. The story really got me interested to watch this film at Sundance but I didn't get the chance to watch it early since individual tickets are more expensive than last year. But I got to see it in a theater which I'm very glad about rather than at home and it was worth it. I really liked how they explored the credit card scheme through the eyes of a desperate college-debt woman and took advantage of the scheme. But the story gets crazier in the climax but the ending comes in full circle with the plot. I won't say much but it's a great ending that pays off well on how those schemes are still going strong. While the story seems big, the film itself is small but there are a lot of moving parts that keep the story feel fresh and big. The film turns big in the final 20 minutes of the film and for an independent film, that's amazing how they achieve this story. The characters in this film are pretty great including the main lead Aubrey Plaza as Emily. Her performance is very great in this film and her character is well written. She acts like the big jerk but she just wants to live a perfect life away from debts and loans. Her character was very good and it's a perfect role for Plaza because it fits with her smirky performance and it's a character that is up to no good. She gets into dangerous situations but she finds a way to get out of them or finish it to continue on her fraud journey. Since she has a criminal record, it's hard for her to find a job but she wants to find a way to get that sweet cash and she does but she encounters new enemies that may become too difficult for this job. The side characters are pretty good as well including Theo Rossi as Youcef. His relationship with Emily was pretty good and his performance was very good. I really liked how he tries to be with Emily but he fails at first but they get with each other in the end. But the ending is kind of sad yet for Emily, it's a satisfying conclusion. Overall, the story and characters were great and the execution of the story is pretty good. The production of this film is very great for an independent film. A lot of unique locations for the film, especially for the ending scene. The cinematography is very slick with blue being the main color and it works for this type of story and character. There are some great and beautiful shots in the film and the editing is well done. The score is also pretty good and overall, the production is very great. I really enjoyed what they put on the film's presentation and it's one of the strongest Sundance films of this year. But it comes with some flaws. The runtime is tight and while that's a good thing, the film felt like nearly two hours with its slow pacing. I love slow films but I felt like some parts of the film were slow. Some of the side characters were used well but I felt like that's fine for this story. The villain was underwhelming and I wished we get to explore more of the underground world of credit card fraud. Another flaw that I felt like it hold some of Emily's character traits was the explanation of Emily's criminal record of a breakout fight. There's no scene but only mentions of it. They repeated it like two or three times and I felt like it was very important to that character. But they only mentioned it during interview scenes and never really looked at it like it's part of her trait unless you count the night truck scene. That was a major flaw in the character but still, I wish they explored that more into her character. Maybe one flashback will do justice. Even though I said a lot of flaws, that was really the only true flaw. The others were nit-picky. Overall, this film was pretty surprising and passed my expectations. The plot was very interesting and the execution of it was great. The main characters were very strong and the performances were great. Amazing cinematography and great production. This is one of the strongest independent films I've seen this year and this will quickly become a hidden gem once people start to rate it more on Letterboxd. If you are into independent films, this is a film you don't want to miss out on. Now Playing Only in Select Theaters. Vizeit Score: "A-" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2022. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr.
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Anthony Mackie and Damson Idris. © 2021. Netflix, Automatik Entertainment, 42 Films, and Inspire Entertainment. Directed by Mikael Håfström. Watched it on Netflix. (Written on Letterboxd)
Quick Review: I bet the US military promoted the shit out of this film. This film has a unique concept and while it works, it suffers from major flaws. The villain is underwhelming and he only appears for a bit. The plot twist was interesting with a cliché ending. I really liked how they explored the problem with the USA starting wars and using technology as an advantage point. The side characters were serviceable but the two main leads were pretty good. Anthony Mackie is still great as always and the main character is pretty good. I liked their chemistry and it brings out some good comedic moments which is weird yet funny. The action scenes are a mixed bag. While it’s entertaining, there are a lot of cuts and weird camera movements. Especially during gunfire scenes. The hand-to-hand combat is strong but there are a lot of cuts which was disappointing. But I still enjoyed It and overall, this film wasn’t bad. I liked the two characters and exploring the world of robots in the military. Now Streaming Only on Netflix Vizeit Score: "C+" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2022. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Bill Hader. © 2018-2022. HBO, Alec Berg Inc. and Hanarply. Created by Bill Hader and Alec Berg. Watched it on HBO through HBO Max
You cannot outrun your deadliest past. Mixing two genres is a difficult process, especially for television. But Barry does that in its own way and it captures the heart of the show. It's brutal, funny, dark, bloody, and a good time. This show exceeded my expectations and HBO never lets me down. Once again, this show is bloody fantastic and with three seasons in, there is still a lot in store for the next season. But for now, let's look back at the first two seasons and move on to the third season which is the darkest one yet even though the show is listed as a "comedy". This show ain't a comedy. It's a dark comedy and I love every second of it. Join me into the mind of Barry and explore the world of LA through acting class and drug adventures. Plot: Barry follows Barry Berkman, a U.S. Marine and Afghanistan veteran from Cleveland, who works as a hitman. Lonely and dissatisfied with life, he travels to Los Angeles to kill a target and finds a new sense of purpose when he joins a class full of aspiring actors. But he gets jangled between acting and contract work which leaves some of his friends in danger. A man in both worlds. Season 1: This season is pretty normal and calm than the rest of the reasons. It balances the dark violence and the comedy very well. Bill Hader is fantastic as Barry and his best moment was during the medieval play after he killed a specific person without saying spoilers. He earned that Emmy right at that moment and that's where the show sold me. The side characters are fucking amazing as well. Sarah Goldberg as Sally was so funny and she made this show with more charm. Anthony Carrigan as NoHo Hank was too good. He's very funny and he doesn't take any situation too seriously. His relationship with Barry is very funny and their chemistry works very well. Stephen Root as Fuches is amazing and his relationship with Barry is in the mix but he wants Barry to be the best. Everyone did fantastic in this show and the comedy was spot on. This show made me laugh and not a lot of "comedy" shows made me laugh so hard like Barry. I don't know how but the jokes are well written and they fit at the right time during comedic and serious moments. The serious and dark moments really made this show uniquely special. It's half comedy and half drama and they balance it so well by not forcing two genres into one scene. It's done so well that you don't even notice it by the end of each episode. The violence is pretty brutal and the cinematography is amazing for television. Plus, the pacing is fast but it doesn't waste any time during the serious moments. This first season was really strong and by the end, I was hooked and I couldn't wait to start the next episode. But your thinking to yourself, what about Mr. Cousineau? Well, Season 2 and 3 really took him off in big ways. Season 2: This season really started to become a little bit more serious with its tone while not shying away from the comedic tone and characters that began with the show. This season is funnier with its edgy and dark humor. Especially during action scenes and serious moments. The episode "ronny/lily" really used both tones and smashed them together. But they use it in a comedic way while making it serious through its visuals. By its writing/screenplay, it's comedic but through visuals and cinematography, it's very serious and bloody. They play it off so well that by the end, you still think it's a comedy show. The pacing is much faster in this season but it wastes no time to get to the main drama or comedy build-up. The violence is more brutal and there are more dramatic scenes than in the first season. Plus, we get to explore the murder of an important character that will haunt Barry throughout the entire show. The side characters are still fantastic including Sally and Fuches. But Henry Winkler as Gene Cousineau is absolutely fantastic and he brings a lot of comedic moments and heartful moments into the show. He gets more screentime and we get to see more of his emotional personal life and his relationship with Barry. Bill Hader and Henry Winkler are both the main goats of this season and they really carried the show with their amazing performance and excellent writing. The directing is stronger in this show with a lot of creative shots, action sequences, and beautiful cinematography. The final two episodes really start to make this show less of a comedy and really start to get more serious and it ends with an amazing ending that becomes the main focus of season 3. This season was stronger than season 1 and shit is about to get crazier in season 3. Season 3: This is by far the darkest season yet. While season 2 is the funniest season, season 3 is the complete opposite. Yes, there are more dark jokes and funny unintentional moments, but what really makes those jokes funny is due to the fall down of every character. Barry now has facial hair and he is trying to make work in the television industry while still doing side contract work. Sally has now her own show but the network is fucking her show and her career. NoHo Hank has more problems with a new cartel and Mr. Cousineau is trying to figure out what to do next in his career and maintain his darkest secret that may end up with death or jail. Everyone is trying to find their next step but each step comes with consequences. There is a lot of action and gunfights in this show. Season 2 is bloodier but there's darker violence in this season. There's an amazing car chase sequence that should earn every Emmy just for that single episode. It's called "710N" and it's one of the best episodes in the entire show. Beautifully directed by Bill Hader and it's fucking entertaining. The cinematography is glorious and way too good for television. The production design is much bigger and the storylines are more bigger and serious. The new characters are fantastic and the new "villain" in the final two episodes is amazing. The final episode is legit the best episode in the entire show so far. There's nothing comedic about it and it's totally a dramatic episode based on the visuals and tone. Every character gets an ending to their next journey and it ends with a huge cliffhanger that shocked me even after the credits roll. Brilliant directing from Bill Hader and honestly, I don't know where this show will head next. This is by far the strongest season yet and it has transitioned from a comedy show into a drama show. This show is bloody fantastic and the cast and crew pulled this off very fucking good. I don't know how but they did it very well. Conclusion: From the brilliant cast to the film crew and to the writers, this is one of the best modern television shows I have ever seen. The writing is flawless, the directing is fantastic, the performances are Emmy-worthy, and the production is fucking good. This show is hilarious yet bloody at the same time. This is a show that every filmmaker should watch. It has everything and the execution is well done. This is a show that I will look forward to and I cannot wait for the next season. Now Streaming Only on HBO/HBO Max Vizeit Score: "A+" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2022. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Myha'la Herrold, Chase Sui Wonders, Rachel Sennott, with Lee Pace, and Pete Davidson. © 2022. A24 and 2AM. Directed by Halina Reijn. Just A Normal Sleepover But Shit Goes Wild.
If you are looking for a true gen-Z film filled with many gen-z references and dumb characters, this is the right film. It's an over-the-top comedic film with many arguments about group texts and friendship. But also a social commentary of our generation and how we distance ourselves from becoming true friends with one another. This film really tackles the comedy and horror genre very well and it gives an uneasy feeling that something might happen. It's basically teen drama but with horror and dumbness. On the inside, it's another A24 hit and it will earn a cult following. Join me into this chaotic night about friendship and dumbness inside Pete Davidson's house before Kim Kardashian left him crying. Kayne West is going to laugh when he sees Pete Davidson in the film. Plot: When a group of 20-somethings gets stuck at a remote mansion during a hurricane, a party game gone very, very wrong ends with a dead body on the ground and fake friends at every turn as they try to find the killer among them. This film is very creative in its presentation and story. While it's a simple murder mystery story, it unravels easily, and sometimes, it gets haunting in certain scenes. The presentation and cinematography really helped this film's story and get a grip on the horror elements of this film. The visuals of this film are very great and there are a lot of creative decisions within the lighting and coloring of the film. They play a lot with the glow sticks and the dark lighting to give a horror vibe within the film. Plus, the red coloring of the blood really helps sell the horror of this film. While the film is bloody, it's not gory like other A24 films. The cinematography is beautiful during the day scenes but the night scenes are scary, especially when everything is dark. The visuals really helped the film and it carried the film in my opinion. I also really liked the color saturation which makes the film pop out more and gives a fun vibe while everything starts to fall apart within this friend group. The score of this film is very good as well. There are some pop songs that really help sell the gen-z story and social commentary of the film. Plus, the score itself really fits within a gen-z vibe while the chaos is happening. The costume design, the production design, everything about the production was very great and it fitted the atmosphere of a rich kid's sleepover. I really liked the production of this film and it sold the gen-z vibe. If they didn't do that, this film would've been a massive disappointment. But with the great directing from Halina Reijn, she really made this film a true gen-z film. She captures the tone, the visuals, and the characters to make it as realistic as possible. Realistic would be capturing what teenagers or gen-z on how they look like and how they act with their friends. It's brilliant. The direction is very strong and all that's left is the story and characters of the film. The story is very good and it's a simple murder mystery comedy film but with gen-z characters with one true adult played by Lee Pace. The story gets more interesting when there's a hurricane near the house while playing a murder mystery game which at first it's fake, it gets real. If the murder mystery "game" didn't happen, it would've been a different situation and outcome. But I really liked how these characters are limited to just flashlights and tools. The story gets more insane in the final 30 minutes between the main characters and everything falls off into an ending that many audiences will be divided on. No spoilers, but the ending is hilarious and it all comes back to the character's decisions and their nature of friendship. The characters in this film are written well with Rachel Sennott and Myha'la Herrold being the strongest written characters and probably the most screen time. They really stole the film and they are a perfect example of gen-z. Dumb, energetic, being badass, terrified for no reason, and exposing their friendship to each other just to save themselves. These actors' performances really sell how our generation would act in real life and we rely a lot on social media. The words toxic and gaslighting really make these characters like gen-z people. Not only that, the screenplay uses other gen-z words and the characters talk about real-life apps like Twitter, TikTok, Snapchat, and iMessage. I feel like it's the first film to mention those apps constantly. The characters are relatable due to their traits and the new girl Bee played by Maria Bakalova was pretty relatable to me. I'm a shy social person in my friend group and this character really represented me in my social skills and being scared of tiny things. Trying to fit in is really hard and you just want to be on your phone. That's basically every character in this film. On their phones, relationships, getting high, scared, and trying to be smart to fight this situation. Even though their adults, they still act like high schoolers and college kids. This is a film that every gen-z person should watch and see what's happening to them with social life, relationships, and most importantly, friendships. These characters rip each other out and destroy their friendship and it comes falling down to the ending of the film. It's a smart social commentary about this generation and how social media really destroyed the relationships and lives of these characters. The ending won't satisfy audiences but for me, it's really smart and when you watch it for the second time, you will understand the social commentary and themes this film trying to aim for. It's a clever film within its characters and with its presentation, it really helps sell the focus of gen-z and its stupidness of it. While this film was clever within its story and characters, it still falls down in some parts within its story and the murder mystery idea. We still don't know what killed this certain character in the middle of the film. But it gives you a huge hint of it near the finale. The murder mystery part was pretty good but I felt like it was too easy to figure out. Once the third person dies, you know who did it immediately and it was too easy. But the ending will rethink your brain even more and the ending will make people love this film or hate it. For me, I ended up loving it but some won't like it. Lee Pace's character was underutilized in the film which was very disappointing because I wanted more from his character. Plus, his character wasn't strong and Pete Davidson is well, Pete Davidson. Nah, Pete Davidson was very good in this film. The drama in this film worked but some of it didn't work out and some moments were cringed or weren't that funny. But these flaws didn't stop this film from being clever with its messages and themes. While this film wasn't strong as a horror film, it's still strong as a teen-drama-comedy film with a spice of A24. That spice of A24 really helped this film push to a certain kind of audience that will love it or hate it. If they hate it, they kind of don't understand their genre. If they love it, they understand the language of gen-z and love their first or maybe 6th A24 film so far. This film was brilliant within its social commentary and themes while giving us an enjoyable ride with drama, comedy, and horror. This film was really fun and it's a film that you really want to see with your friends and introduce them to independent cinema. This film will have some sort of cult following in the coming years and many gen-z people will look back to this film and see what this generation has become. Now Playing Only in Theaters. Vizeit Score: "A-" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2022. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, and Anthony Ramos. © 2022. Universal Pictures and Dreamworks Animation Studios. Directed by Pierre Perifel. Watched it on Peacock 🦚
Quick Review: If Pulp Fiction was animated with a twist of animation and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, then this is the film. This film rocks with the creative animation style and characters. The presentation style is unique and the film really has heart. There are serious moments in the film which really surprised me for a kids' movie. But the serious moments are serious. The tree scene might be one of the strongest scenes that DreamWorks has done in years. There are no comedic moments and it wants to get the message of being good. That's a huge plus for me and there are moments where they add comedy but in the right moment. Plus, there are some dark moments in the film which is surprising. But it didn't take away the light-hearted charm and fun of the film. The comedy is funny and the action is very entertaining. A lot of unique action sequences and the prison break scene was the most creative action sequence in terms of animation. The voice cast is amazing as well. I like Sam Rockwell in his role but Marc Maron as the snake really took over the film. The voice cast was amazing and it made the characters more likable and relatable. The story is also pretty good and the second act is its strongest. Yes, there are your normal clichés and conventions. Plus, you got your kiddy moments in the film as well. But the film balances it well and gives the film's tone a chance to shine. Some side characters like Shark and Tarantula were underdeveloped in the team. But everyone got their moment in the final act and I really liked how they ended this film. The plot twist was an easy guess from a mile away but still, this film was a blast. The best DreamWorks film since How to Train Your Dragon 3. Boss Baby can go in the garbage. I'm totally open for a sequel to this. Now Streaming on Peacock and on VOD. Vizeit Score: "B+" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2022. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. |
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