srainemci Reviews

Booksmart (2019)

Really good, funny film

[9/10 · 3 June 2019]

A solid film. One of the few films in years that has wanted me to laugh and actually succeeded in it. It also feels modern without trying to shove "teens these days" in your face. You understand why the characters butt heads at the end. I genuinely believe this will be a teen classic in the years to come. (Probably not a cult classic because it doesn't have a unique feel to it in terms of style but it's still a well done film)

It's a comedy, it deserves to be analyzed as one (and not by comparing it to Superbad or Bridesmaids.) When it's making a joke, it's making a joke, not shoving in your face that it's making a joke. A lot of the jokes revolve around the conflict and the characters and never are made just to make a joke.

Wakefield (2016)

Pretentious Garbage With No Ending

[1/10 · 25 March 2019]

I love thoughtful films. I love films that aren't Hollywood style. I love films that don't have endings.

However, this film has horrible pretentious writing. Awkward editing. And is just straight mediocrity the whole way through with a complete lack of ending.

I am crying while writing this because I've never had a worse experience watching a film.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Pure Fun but doesn't forget style

[8/10 · 15 December 2018]

If you want to watch a genuinely enjoyable, fun superhero film with a real unique style and great sound design, this film is for you. I personally have had superhero fatigue for about six or so years, and mainly watched this because it didn't look like a Pixar or Illumination animated film. The story is solid, the characters are solid, and I just can't get over the sound design. I wouldn't say it's a groundbreaking film or really artistry, but it was bloody fun without being stupid. My only complaint really is that the score is completely uninspired.

The Predator (2018)

Absolutely Trash. Highly Recommend.

[1/10 · 15 September 2018]

Horrible, horrible film.

The writing is god awful. The editing confuses the story even more. The characters don't matter at all. Every bit of this film is just poorly-handled and below amateur level.

That being said; It is incredibly fun. If you are looking for a horrible movie to laugh at, this is it. I've never seen a film so bad with such a budget. The predators don't matter at all. The 'heroes' are violent and nonredeemable. The 'bad guys' have no reason for being bad? This movie misses so many marks that it makes it so incredible to watch. Like the world's most ridiculous and deadliest train crash.

Please see this movie. People need to witness this hilarious trash.

The only disappointment was that at the end, the "predator-killing" machine was not an "Alien" from Alien. That would have been the greatest ending.

I Kill Giants (2017)

Ehhhhhh

[3/10 · 24 March 2018]

I wasn't particularly excited for this movie, but it was one of the few that I wanted to see this opening weekend (where pickings are slim). The acting was not great especially in the beginning (it got a little bit better throughout but I would imagine it's because there's a lot more stimuli to distract from the characters speaking.

The monsters were boring. I love monster design which is one of the reasons I decided to see this, but the one giant we see up close is a hodgepodge of rocks and sharps edges, and just horribly ugly but not in an intricate, thought out way. The harbingers were pretty neat to look at and moved like Jim Henson puppets, but when they spoke it ruined any sort of fear (understandably I'm old for this movie's audience, but kids deserve a better movie anyways).

The message is literally spoken out to you word for word in one of the most boring battles I've ever seen. The bullies come right out of the 80s. The main character is an ungrateful brat, which yes, kids can be like that and still deserve our sympathy, but at least in the comics she was wittier.

Over all a very meh story, with very meh characters, and rudimentary acting, editing, and cinematography.

Altered Carbon (2018–2020)

Ehhhhhhhh

[5/10 · 14 February 2018]

I was following this title since it was first announced (the article comparing it to Blade Runner got me hooked cause I was riding a Blade Runner 2049 high), but once I heard an article calling it Netflix's "Game of Thrones" I was hyped to see it for possibly all the wrong reasons.

Whenever a network, distributor, or platform says "It's the next Game of Thrones", I know it's going to be an utter mess so I have to see it. Altered Carbon didn't disappoint in that regard, but it did have some elements that made me recommend it to my family (but none of my colleagues).

The visuals are cool and sometimes even great, the acting is well-done, and the story is mysterious and complex without getting out of hand. That being said, it's a bit of a snore-fest and feels way too much like Television. (I could easily see this show on FX but not HBO and possibly not even Showtime).

The action, for a show about dispensable bodies, rarely is engaging, extreme, or innovative. The characters are barely likable and the majority of the good guys feel whinny. The main character is interesting and shows his complex nature further along into the show, but still is undercut by this whole 'anti-hero' and 'stoic' manner that seems to be enforced in detective-esque shows (the Batman complex if you shall). The dialogue is a big issue. What GoT does right is the dialogue, it's interesting and revealing, it keeps us really listening and obsessive, trying to get us to decipher the characters intentions and thus the plot. I love it when shows are trying to be passed off as the new GoT because they forget the simple fact that even if your show is visually amazing, well acted, and in all essence good, if it doesn't have the writing down to the small details, it won't be GoT. It can be highly successful (The Walking Dead, Stranger Things, MadMen), but it won't be GoT.

Watch Altered Carbon if you want to, it's fun and I'm actually into watching the next season. It's better than Sense8 (the bar is so low) and worse than Stranger Things, in the context of Netflix shows. But, as per my rating, it's not anything special nor great on its own.

Birdboy: The Forgotten Children (2015)

Absolutely Amazing

[9/10 · 1 February 2018]

I recently was lucky to grab a seat in it's limited English release in NYC and I'm very glad I went out of my way to watch it. NYC theaters are loud and responsive, it spoke well of this film that the audience grew quiet and attentive 20 minutes in. While the film has it's comedy and of course features solely animated animals, it reaches amazing depths and tells a fully entertaining and visually captivating story. There is nothing immature or young about this film. The animation is wonderful and feels wholly original without shoving style into your face. The writing is superb and crisp, never feeling heavy handed nor childish. Each character has its own story, even if you don't get to see it, you feel their story through their design and dialogue. I was amazed to learn this was the two directors first feature length film, and while it is based on Vasquez's own comic (which explains their talent in story telling and character development) the ability to translate the story to a fully engaging film. I'm very excited to see what comes out of this team in the future.

Saturday Church (2017)

Proof that Heart is most important in Art

[7/10 · 13 January 2018]

I has seen the Saturday Church trailer on IMDb two months or so ago, and was intrigued. However, after seeing it's release date in January, I was cautious to expect grandeur. In some aspects, my caution proved true. The dialogue and acting in parts was off beat and awkward, and certain mood shifts (especially with musical numbers) made the seams of this film all the more noticeable.

However, you could feel the love in every scene and character. Each cast and crew put their heart into this project. That's the most important part in creation. And while the musical scenes cause a bump in the film, as they continued they didn't feel out of place anymore. This movie is of course about drag culture, and the black LGBTQ youth and community. Theatrics aren't awkward or forced, they're innate to those communities.

I saw this film the day after Call Me By Your Name. And while it may be unfair to compare the two, as they are vastly different and cover different subject matters, I will say that Saturday Church fully exceeded CMBYN, in style, tone, and joy.

I would like to see this crew turn out a film with more resources and support for their visions, because I believe they are on their way to being great filmmakers.

I gave this film 7/10 because of technical reasons. A seamless film brings the audience deeper into the story and, unfortunately, this movie wasn't seamless. But I'd highly recommend that everyone see this movie.