Ben Affleck. © 2023 Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports, Artists Equity, and Mandalay Pictures. Directed by Ben Affleck.
Early Screening at AMC Theaters
Some Icons Are Meant to Fly. Nike is the biggest shoemaker in the world but without one person, they couldn't fly high. However, it's not who think it is. It's just an employee at Nike who is about to save and innovate the shoe world once again. This film flies high with a great cast and directing that we have been waiting for since Argo. Sports movies are back on the market and with the latest film AIR, legacy can be still living if done right and AIR does complete justice. Join me back to 1984 where we explore the beginning of a legacy and the rise of the modern shoe era. Story: Sonny Vaccaro and Nike pursue basketball rookie Michael Jordan, creating a partnership that revolutionizes the world of sports and contemporary culture. Sonny teams up and gets help from Phil Knight, Rob Strasser, and George Raveling on reaching this deal to save the company. One thing that caught my attention right away, was when this film was announced, it was going to be directed by Ben Affleck and his directing here is great! It's his best work in terms of directing since Argo. He makes every scene enjoyable and engaging with humor and drama. Affleck is at his best when there's tension in a scene that will lead up to the big scene of the act. It's very well done and he keeps the film engaging while making the story easy to follow with great performances. The cast is strong in this film and it's nice to see Chris Tucker back on screen! It's also weird to see Marlon Wayans in a dramatic film. However, his role is fitted well and I liked his performance. Matt Damon is always excellent in every role and his chemistry with Jason Bateman is the strongest. Obviously, Ben Affleck is also starring in the film and he was great in his supporting role. I thought Viola Davis wouldn't get a lot of screen time but she had the right amount and she was great. The cast overall is excellent and the story itself is pretty straightforward. The screenplay is very slick and it gets right to the point. Easy to follow and the pacing of this film doesn't drag. It keeps you at the moment and makes you care about these real-life characters. The cinematography is very solid and there are a lot of shots in this film that surprises me for this type of sports film. The production design is very great and I loved the 80s vibe and company aesthetics presented. It feels cheesy but done right. This film has energy and it succeeds in what sports film should do. It's hilarious with its edgy language humor and the speech scene was heartwarming and emotional. It's a simple sports film that delivers what it is and the execution is done right. However, when flying, not everything will land.
I would say the editing on this film was pretty mixed. A lot of fucking cuts but I can't lie that it kept the pacing well. I was disappointed that they didn't show Michael Jordan himself but I respect Affleck's choice not to show him. I still feel like Viola Davis's character was a little bit underused, however, the runtime was justified. It's your typical sports story and you know which direction is going to take, but this story was still enjoyable from start to finish.
I really enjoyed this film due to the cast performances, great directing, and solid pacing that kept me engaged with the film. Sports films aren't that big anymore unless you bring energy and care to the project. This film has the potential to bring back sports film into the spotlight. AIR was such a fun time at the theaters and it's definitely a crowd-pleaser. Please more films directed by Ben Affleck, please!? Only in Theaters April 5. Vizeit Score: "A-" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2023. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr.
0 Comments
Alden Ehrenreich and Phoebe Dynevor. © MRC, T-Street Productions and Star Thrower Entertainment. Directed by Chloe Domont. Netflix will distribute the film soon after Sundance.
Watched it at Sundance Film Festival 2023 Online through Eventive (Sundance #1)
A Engagement Can Turn Sideways For The Better or Worse... Just the two lead characters, the producers behind it, and the plot itself got me interested in this film. Oh boy, it was a wild independent film. If Uncut Gems and The Notebook had a baby and their son Money Monster met this film, it's no wild surprise that this film couple will be exploding money and hooking up until someone breaks their point. It's an intense film from start to finish and with the wild lead performances, let's say the film can be viewed from many points of view. Join me in the big apple and explore this couple who are about to have the wild ride of their life. Story: Hot off the heels of their new engagement, thriving New York couple Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) can’t get enough of each other. When a coveted promotion at a cutthroat financial firm arises, supportive exchanges between the lovers begin to sour into something more sinister. As the power dynamics irrevocably shift in their relationship, Luke and Emily must face the true price of success and the unnerving limits of ambition. This was a sleek film from the editing to the direction and to the performances. This was a wild ride and be prepared to get romanticized the fuck out of you. The story of this film is very original yet strong with its great direction from Chloe Domont. I really loved how we get immediately to the engagement part but the drama that keeps this couple together is the wall street job itself. It mirrors the strengths, weaknesses, and struggles of being a wall street broker while maintaining a relationship. Plus it was unexpected and it goes downhill from there. I love that the film balances these two characters' motivations and struggles while keeping the work intact. The plot gets wacky in the second act but in a good way. It goes deeper into the rabbit hole of money, numbers, drinking, and bets. I love that it doesn't shy away from the dangerous parts of being on wall street and with these side characters, it makes it rawer and feel lived in. What made the plot more interesting mid-way through is that it explores the greediness of these people and the environment of a workplace. The production design of the offices is amazing and with the cold difference living inside an NYC apartment is so interesting. Just the production design alone carries the symbolism of NYC, Wall Street, and the lives of these characters living in. The characters in this film are amazing. I really loved Phoebe's performance and her final scene really brought the film full circle. Her character shows how she worked hard to be in this career while showing some of her darkest sides and sexual obsession. With the costume design in the film, it showcases Phoebe's character that she is willing to take on being the most smartest and badass broker in the office and take power. While for Alden's character Luke, it's a completely different story. Alden's performance is absolutely amazing. It's been over three years since his silver screen performance in Solo: A Star Wars Story and he really made a screaming returning debut in this film. His performance was over the roof and his character was pretty calming but when he breaks, he breaks. His character shows the conflicting aspects of being a broker and working way harder than you can but not achieving the golden aspect that is required. Some of his breaking point scenes are the best and it shows that his character skills and relationship are not holding up well because of one stupid promotion. It's so done well and it mostly comes around with jealousy. Jealously can break a person easily or slowly if the thing starts to show in front of you constantly. Jealously is the name of the game and I love how in the end, you must forget about it or it can badly damage a part of your life. I haven't seen Jealously been taken seriously in film for a while and this film handles the theme alongside the subjects of marriage, work, and social life very seriously. The screenplay is very strong with its slick dialogue and editing. The humor is very smart but literally smart. Not the cliche critic-type quotes you see but this film delivers the comedy and swearing on point. I love that. The cinematography is so well done and once again, the production design alone really carries the weight of the film to show some of its symbolism and feelings of these characters around some of these environments. Since this is an indie film, there may be some trips along the way. The "villain" of the film was pretty weak but I enjoyed his performance from Eddie Marsan. The pacing was a bit weird in the second act of the film in which case it almost got lost but it got back on track when the couple wasn't together. I thought it would be an Uncut Gems vibe from what critics hear but it wasn't the style. I got misled but in a good way. I was mixed with the cold opening of the film but when they got to work inside wall street, that's where the good shit starts to get heated up. Some people might be mixed with the ending but I really loved how it ends. It's a damn good watch. This was definitely a wild erotic ride from start to finish. Full of marriage problems, money, sex, power, and jealousy are all over the place in this film. It's a well-crafted independent film with slick cinematography, dialogue, and editing to make the tensions high constantly. I really loved the two lead performances and this is a fantastic directorial debut from Chloe Domont. I cannot wait for her next project and what she has in store for the future. It's also nice to see Rian Johnson producing this as well! Coming Soon on Netflix. Vizeit Score: "A-" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2023. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr.
Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell. © 2022. Columbia Pictures/Sony, Stage 6 Films, and Black Label Media. Directed by J.D. Dillard.
Watched it at The Chicago International Film Festival 2022 through AMC Theaters (CIFF #5)
Q&A Question Included in The Review Witness The True Story of The First African American Navy Officer Through Friendship. If Top Gun: Maverick was only the best navy film of this year, you might wanna rethink again. This film is a much more serious but filled with great performances and amazing direction. This film will definitely be underrated in the future but it will leave a mark because of the two main leads. It's a much deeper film exploring friendship and love for the navy. It's a crowd-pleasing film for sure but it's a film that you will definitely put on your best-of-the-year list. Join me in North Korea and let's find Kim Jong Un and let's ki-. Wait, wrong film. We are going back in time and taking a trip with two buddies to a forgotten war. Story: A pair of U.S. Navy fighter pilots risk their lives during the Korean War and become some of the Navy's most celebrated wingmen. But it focuses on the life of Jesse Brown through the war but is supported by his best friend Tom Hudner. A film about war, racism, and friendship. This is a different film from what I saw in the marketing itself. While the film didn't change or it's not like a Synder cut situation, but the way it was marketed was interesting. When watching the film, the marketing was 50/50 and I was glad that I was kind of misled going into this film. It's more of a dramatic film over your typical action navy film. Yes, there are navy action sequences that were great and entertaining, but the drama carried the film including the performances. I really loved the directing from J.D. Dillard and the transition from low-budget films to this high-budget movie is seamless. J.D. Dillard gave me a personal response about how he transitioned from smaller films to big-budget films. The only thing I would say from his personal response was that it's the same thing. "It's directing through actors with or without a monitor but now with a bigger crew." Other than that, I asked him a public question that relates to the directing which I will get into that later in the review. His directing in this film is amazing and the way he directed some of the shots including the long-take airplane crash was fucking dope. The camera transition was too smooth and I love it. Besides Dillard's directing camera, he brought every detail of Jesse Brown's life into this film and brought great direction to Jonathan Majors. I really loved Major's performance and it's one of the best works in his career. Glen Powell is also great in this film and he has a much more serious character compared to his other naval character. The chemistry with Majors worked very well and when they are on screen together, that's where the film strengthens its dramatic moments. But even without them, the scenes just by themselves are still great. There are a lot of great things about this film including one scene that was shot on Day 2 according to a post-Q&A question I asked the director and both the director and actor responded to my question. I asked what was Dillard's directorial techniques to Jonathan Majors and he gave me and the audience a great response. He said "So much of the work is done in prep. We talk about everything, we are sharing things, and we're building that language, so by the time that were on set, the actor does the job. Most of our work is like, can you just turn a little bit, and it becomes more technical, and of course, there are things we talk about on the sideline. What's more important is that our line share of work is done ahead of time." (Taken from a Post Q&A during the Chicago International Film Festival 2022). I really loved his response on how he directed Jonathan Majors and he mentioned that the mirror scene was shot on day 2 and when you watch the film with that context in mind, you will be definitely surprised at how Majors pulled off that performance. He expanded upon that if the actor/director relationship didn't quite work ahead of time, you wouldn't receive the performance you wanted so it's important to communicate with the actor more often like with your producer since he's your collaborator. I really loved this response and it made me love this film even more. There are more questions he answered from the audience and that will be separate from this review. Back to the review, I really dig his directional style and making every moment matter so it connects the relationship between the two main leads. Even during the smaller moments with them together adds chemistry and when we see them for one last time, the build-up was worth it. It was emotional and heartbreaking. I really loved that scene and it's the best scene in the film. There are a lot of great scenes in the film but the action sequences are very great. They are well-directed and it gives a lot of dramatic moments in the film. While there were only two major action scenes, how it was directed was great. Plus, the score makes the sequences more tense and memorable. The production of this film is amazing and I loved the dark/blue cinematography. It fits well with the dynamic of the story and the aspect ratio is perfect for this film. The VFX/CGI are very great and when the camera is inside the plane, it doesn't look too bad. I loved the production design and costumes of this film and the bomber jacket looks dope. Loved how they went to Cannes which makes me smile since the Cannes Film Festival takes place there. Overall, the production is amazing and there was care behind this project which is important. There were some things that didn't click with me. I felt like the film could've been shorter in my opinion but the pacing was still good. The first act was a bit slow but it picked up its pace. Since it was based on a true story, there were some constraints which is understandable. You still got your typical post-WWII clichés but besides those small problems, I still loved this film. This is a strong big budget film start for J.D. Dillard and the performances in this film are amazing. Majors steals every scene but once Powell arrives on screen and they are together, that's when the film soars. I really enjoyed the action sequences and it's a great film for telling a true story. It's hard to pull these kinds of stories off but with Dillard's response on how he worked with Majors made me confident in making my own films. Plus, it also made me love this film even more. It's another win for war films and this is a good back-to-back film with Top Gun: Maverick. I had such a great time with this film and event and I can't wait to see Dillard's next project including Majors! In theaters November 23, 2022. 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. Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, and Lee Ji-eun. © 2022. Neon, CJ Entertainment, and Zip Cinema. Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. Watched it at The Chicago International Film Festival 2022 through AMC Theaters (CIFF #4)
One Family Road Trip Will Determine The Future. Korean cinema is thriving every year and with the huge win from Parasite, it's all eyes on South Korea. We recently received two bangers from South Korea this year and with Broker, this is one of the most calming dramatic films I've seen in a while. It's a rich story filled with deep-human characters and beautiful directing to make this film lovable in every way. It's a film that will rethink family, love, and how much it takes to protect the one you care about in your life. Or help the person have a better life and not make the same mistakes as you did in your life. It's a film about life, love, and family. This film is the definition of a sweet film. Join me on this road trip around South Korea to find the perfect home for this abandoned baby. Story: Sang-hyeon (Song Kang-ho) is the owner of a hand laundry and volunteers at the nearby church, where his friend Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won) works. The two run an illegal business together: Sang-hyeon occasionally steals babies from the church's baby box with Dong-soo, who deletes the church's surveillance footage that shows a baby was left there. They sell the babies on the adoption black market but for a good cause. But when a young mother So-young (Lee Ji-eun) comes back after having abandoned her baby, she discovers them and decides to go with them on a road trip to interview the baby's potential parents. Meanwhile, two detectives, Soo-jin (Bae Doona) and Lee (Lee Joo-young), are on their trail to arrest them for the act of selling the baby to a family. This is a heartful film in many ways. It's a film that deals with loss and caring for the ones you love the most. It plays with those subjects through these characters and by the time you get to meet them, you will either love them or hate them. But once the film delves deep into these characters' actions and their purpose in doing this job, you will love them instead of hating them. I really loved how the villain of this film is ourselves. There is no true villain in this story and more about us trying to abandon our love. It's a sad story and it works by bringing the heartful moments alive. I really loved this story and how they play with human trafficking is quite interesting. They make it heartful through the lens of the main characters but from the detective's perspective, it's a dark one. You get to see how each character feels when the baby is about to be sold and you get mixed emotions throughout the scene. But it doesn't quite happen. Without saying the ending, the tone gets a little bit sadder but by the end, it completes its tonal shift cycle into a much happier film. It's a strong story overall and the plot of the film moves very great. It's slow but it gets its job done with its nice pacing. The characters in this film are amazing and I loved the performances from this cast. Song Kang-ho is still fantastic and his performance in this film is so heartwarming. He cares about everyone who is on this road trip and his ending is so sad but much happier for his character arc. The best actor in this film who stole every scene is Gang Dong-won. He is fantastic in his role and it's his best career performance to date. I loved his relationship with the family and his love for Moon So-young (Lee Ji-eun). The little kid is pretty funny in the film and the baby is too adorable that the audiences were "awwing" every time he shows up on the screen. The two detectives are great in the film and their sense of humor is pretty funny. They are the most dramatic ones in the film and they really nailed it off. Love the cast in this film. The directing is very strong and it's great seeing Hirokazu Kore-eda directing a Korean film. He normally directs Japanese films but he still carries his heartful tone into a Korean film and it works perfectly, especially for this cast. His directing shines during small heartful scenes and fun scenes including the car-wash scene and the carnival scene. The carnival scene really broke me and it's a scene I will not forget. Now that's international cinema to me. The cinematography is simple yet beautiful and it captures the emotions of each character. I also really enjoyed the music of this film and the production of this film is great. It feels indie yet feels like a mid-budget Korean film. The screenplay is very strong in this film and I love how the film takes its time to build the love for these characters. Especially the mother since she abandoned the child in the first place. Overall, the production is great and I really enjoyed the heartfulness of this film with its entertainment value. It's a push away from a dramatic tone and playing around with a heartful tone with a serious subject. It's a risky move but the execution is a success. However, there are some minor things that didn't quite work for me. While I like how it added drama when the mafia was involved with the trafficking, their purpose felt empty. They were there just as a small obstacle and they were only featured for around 7 minutes or less. I wish they added more context or backstory about Moon So-young having this baby. I would love even a minute of how it happened and it will help build more character. Also, this film is slow so expect some audiences to be bothered, so let it be warned. But overall, this film was still fantastic and heartful. This is a film that should be seen in theaters. You will be glued to that screen when the heartful moments start playing and I'm betting money that you will definitely cry. It's a heartful film with amazing directing, fantastic performances, and a story that takes it to a calmer tone filled with drama and sunshine. I really loved this film and it's the best Korean film of this year. Check it out when it arrives in theaters and support Korean cinema as always. Another banger on my 2022 list. In Select Theaters December 26, 2022. 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.
Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista. © 2022. Netflix and T-Street. Directed by Rian Johnson.
Watched it at The Chicago International Film Festival 2022 through Music Box Theater (CIFF #3)
A Simple Friendship Group Reunion Gone Wrong...No not a YouTube Prank Gone Wrong The mastermind of the first film is back again with another murder mystery story filled with twists and turns. But with a new cast of characters and location but with the same old detective. This time, however, it takes into a new direction that not a lot of murder mystery films capture in the right way. Luckily, this film does and the execution of it is nearly flawless. This is a film that is absolutely meant to be seen in a theater with a full audience and you will laugh your ass off. This was quite the ride and I was glad to be a part of this ride months early. Join me on the Island of richness and explore the Glass Onion. Unless you will become the first victim of this ride. Story: Tech billionaire Miles Bron invites his friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. When someone turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc is put on the case. Everyone questions their personality and must find out who killed one of their members on board. That's all I can say about the story because it's better to go blind when watching this film. This film is much bigger in scale with a bigger cast and a bigger budget. It's a sequel of course and it has to make unique choices to make the film fresh. Luckily, it keeps what made the first film amazing, and tries new things along the way. Sure, some of the twists are changed including the writing structure and villain. But the core elements of a Knives Out film are still here and it works flawlessly. The writing in this film is stronger as the first one and the comedy is way stronger in this film. The first film included more edgy and crude humor while this one is more light-hearted yet smartly hilarious. Plus, they got away with a lot of shit including visual comedy. The screenplay is a little bit longer but filled with great direction and detail and making the plot and world-building more believable. There are funny cameos in this film including two big-name stars and one funny video game reference that really made me laugh out loud. Fucking brilliant. Besides the screenplay, the directing is very strong in this film. I love Rian Johnson's style and his directing is way bigger and there's a lot of freedom to make this film more amazing. A lot of great directing choices and beautiful framing to make this film as huge as possible. That is what a sequel should do while keeping the core elements intact. The story is also very strong. I love how it's a brand new cast of characters while we have the same old detective looking out for everyone. But there's a major twist in the second act which I won't get into. The plot gets crazier which this film is based on crazy plot twists but the execution of it is done right. Great execution means great directing, and this film's ending is not what I expected. But it's fresh which is a major plus. I really loved the story and how it expanded from one rich house to a goddamn billionaire's island. The characters in this film are amazing. While I prefer the first film's cast, this cast however brought a lot of comedy and tone to this film. Every actor fits perfectly for their character and they each have their moment. The three actors I adore in this film are Daniel Craig, Janelle Monae, and Edward Norton. They are a powerhouse in this film and the rest of the cast is entertaining. Kate Hudson really stole every scene in my opinion and Dave Bautista is still proving that he's a great actor. Everyone is amazing in this film and I thought it could've been anyone who killed this specific character in this film. The build-up is done right and I loved the tension while adding humor at appropriate moments. The cinematography is more beautiful and grander in this film. There are a lot of creative shots than the first one and I'm happy they kept the film grain effect. The richness of the camera work done in this film is well executed and the visual effects are pretty great. The set design is just spectacular. I was mind blown by the architecture of the huge mansion set and I honestly didn't know what was fake or real. I loved the costume designs of each character and the art direction is legit on-point. Rian Johnson's vision is shown here a lot and I'm happy that this film makes everything fresh and new while still having the core production elements of the first film. Overall, the production is fantastic and I can see this film pulling some nominations. Just splendid! However, not every film is perfect, including my short films. Some of the VFX fire looks iffy in some shots which bothered me. Not only that, the film pacing is way slower in this film and while it's not a bad thing for me, I felt like the madness stopped. But the mystery kept the pacing alive which was good. Some audiences will find it a flaw but not me. The one thing I felt watching this film was missing the simple mystery yet grand execution of the first one. But I still loved the risks they took. This film was a mystery surprise. It's a great example of what a sequel should do and I loved the execution of this film. The writing and directing are still top-tier, with an amazing cast of characters, phenomenal production design on a mid-budget film, and a hilarious fun time. Watch this film with a packed audience and I bet you will laugh at every joke, even the non-funny ones. Plus, I got to see Kathryn Hahn which was amazing and her Q&A was very interesting. She told us to not say anything about the plot so I won't. Unless you pay me 100 bucks to spoil the film for you. In Major Theaters Thanksgiving Week. Later on Netflix, December 23, 2022. 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. |
Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
Copyright © 2024 Vizeit Reviews. All Rights Reserved. |