Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. © 2022 Netflix, Monkeypaw Productions, and Gotham Group. Directed by Henry Selick.
Watched it on Netflix
Quick Review: Stop-motion animation films are amazing and this film was amazing with its animated storytelling. I really enjoyed Wendell & Wild due to its funny duo characters and its dark themes. It's a simple straightforward story but there are a lot of interesting plot elements that make this story work. The small demons trying to escape for freedom in exchange for life. Pretty basic but its execution works with the character development of these two main creatures. Kat played by Lyric Ross was good and her character development was somewhat interesting. In one scene, a lot changed for many characters and it felt rushed in some way. But I still connected to the loss of parents, especially in the ending. The villains are lackluster unfortunately and I felt like the film was a bit slow repeatedly which is rare in my case. But at the same time, the pacing was fast after the madness begins. The animation is always fantastic from Henry Selick and the attention to detail in these figures and production design is immaculate. I was confused by the "PG-13" rating and even though there were some dark moments, it didn't feel as dark as I hope for. I wish they could've gone darker with its animation but kept the original tone of the film. The narrative could've been tighter with its main character Kate but I still liked her in the story. The comedy is pretty good, mostly from Key and Peele. Overall, it's a great film and I hope we get more animation films like this in the future. Now Streaming Only on Netflix 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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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. 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. Jake Gyllenhaal. © 2021. Netflix, Nine Stories Productions, Fuqua Films, Capstone Pictures, and Amet Entertainment. Directed by Antoine Fuqua. Watched it on Netflix. (Written on Letterboxd)
Quick Review: This film was intense through the roof. Great performance from Jake Gyllenhaal as always and the voice cast was also very great as well. The Emily character was strong as well and it gets more fucked up when the story unravels. The story was very solid and by the second act, everything starts to connect to pieces. The final act was intense due to the great performances and there’s a huge relief in the end but still depressing when it connects back to Jake’s character. The cinematography is solid with an interesting color palate and the sound design is very good. I liked how they teased the outdoor scenes to know what was going through that call and I was glad that it changed into a different room halfway through. I love the one-place stories and this worked very well. One of the flaws I encountered in this film was the lack of character development within the “villain” of the story. It switches to the real “villain” but we don’t get convinced right away. While I felt the tension, I didn’t feel the true “the edge of your seat”. Plus, I wish they could’ve explained more of Jake’s past. This was a quick film and the pacing was solid. The dark comedy is pretty funny and overall, this film was very very good! Now I got to see the original and I think it may be better than the remake. Now Streaming Only on Netflix 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. Adam Sandler and Juancho Hernangómez. © 2022. Netflix, Happy Madison Productions, Roth/Kirschenbaum Films and SpringHill Company. Directed by Jeremiah Zagar. Watched it on Netflix (Written on Letterboxd)
Quick Review: This film was energetic and fun! Many great performances with Adam Sandler still balling in this dramatic role. The basketball action sequences were great and the characters were well written. I liked Juancho’s performance as Bo and it’s nice to see some NBA cameos. This film was well directed with many creative zoom-in shoots feeling like a Safdie film. The story was pretty good, and there were many mirror moments between the player and the coach. This film felt quick in its runtime but the film goes to the point and doesn’t waste time. I really enjoyed this film and this is the strongest one I have seen in a long time as a basketball film. Very creative in its direction and realism. Also, it’s pretty funny because of Sandler’s comedy. Highly recommend it and worth it. Now Streaming Only on Netflix. 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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