Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Girls Trip - Expectations were super high for a few reasons: 1. The great reviews. 2. Tiffany Haddish seems to be the new "It girl". 3. I'm always up for a Set it Off reunion. However, even with the line "Come on Bitches, Let's set it off!" followed by a moment between Queen Latifah and Jada, the rest of the movie was actually kind of...painful. I didn't find it funny at all. It was definitely raunchy, but I didn't laugh at all. It was surprisingly cheesy and boring...and predictable. However, I will always love Queen Latifah, and Regina Hall, and Lorenz Tate!!! Where has he been? I don't think I've seen him in anything since Rescue Me. You know who else I haven't seen in YEARS? MASE (or is it still Ma$e?)! I think that was the only moment of the movie that peaked my interest - and not because I love Mase or anything, it was just so surprising. Also, do women really think Puff Daddy is hot?!? I'm so confused. He will always be the dorky guy in the background of Biggy videos calling out "yeah....uh huh...yeah" and taking credit for everyone else's talent, to me. Anyway, back to the movie. I guess I'm not exactly the target audience, but I just didn't find this funny or interesting in any way. It could have easily been a lifetime movie if it didn't have the vulgarity. And to be really fucking nit-picky, how did Jada fit into her friend's dress? She's like half of her size. I am about Jada's size and I can never borrow my friend's clothes.

2. Shut In - What a dumb fucking movie. I was intrigued by the cast (Naomi Watts and Jacob Tremblay). I like psychological horror movies - What Lies Beneath comes to mind (part horror, part mind-fuck), but this movie just didn't make any sense. I won't go into plot details, just in case you would like to torture yourself and watch it, but let's just say that the most obvious thing happens even though it seems so impossible because it's just SO OBVIOUS. The biggest mistake is that Tremblay is barely in it. That kid is destined to be a star, and I'm not one to praise child actors (I think it's mostly luck when they are that young), but he really blew me away in Room. He really has nothing to do in this movie but act terrified (and he did it well). Aside from the horrible premise, nothing really happens until the end. The only big scares were some night terrors and a raccoon. Then the big dramatic ending sequence happens where the "final girl" is running for her life and she literally does everything wrong. Everything. It's extremely frustrating.

3. Logan Lucky - I'm clearly not on top of my movie game lately (not enough time in the day; too much television to watch, etc.) because I had no idea that this was directed by Steven Soderbergh (and didn't he retire?!). I wasn't paying much attention to the beginning credits, and then about 1/4 way through the movie I thought "this feels like a white trash version of Ocean's Eleven", not even realizing the connection between them (sorry if it's offensive to use the term "white trash" but I grew up as white trash, so I feel like I'm aloud to call it out when I see it). I'm a big fan of the Ocean's films and the new one with the magnificent Sandi B is literally the only movie I'm looking forward to this year. I liked the pace of this movie a lot - it felt like Soderbergh, and I honestly feel so dumb that I didn't know it was him. The film was a lot smarter than I thought it was going to be - every detail connected together. I feel like there are probably a ton of plot holes if I watched it again, or it might be air-tight (I'll probably never know. I rarely have time for first-time watch movies, let alone repeat viewings). Almost all of the actors are fantastic, but man, Hillary Swank is stunningly terrible. I don't know if it was just a mis-cast or what was going on, but she stuck out like a sore thumb. I did really like Riley Keough. I've heard her name a lot, but this is the first time I've taken notice of her, and she was definitely the highlight of the film. I also learned that she's Elvis' granddaughter! That's pretty cool!

4. Justice League - I know, I know. Just like everyone said, it is a terrible movie. I don't always trust people, because sometimes the consensus is bad and I end up finding something worth watching. And even though this movie is terrible and an editing nightmare, there are still some stunning shots and and um...that's all I got. I'm not really sure why people hate on Zach Snyder the way that they do. He seems like a stand-up guy, and he's super talented and passionate about his movies. I think if a third party editing team put the film together more cohesively it could have been something special. I also think the casting is off. Gal Gadot is the exception (obvi!), and I liked Ben Affleck as Batman in the previous movie (he's another one that everyone seems to gang up on lately. I don't get it.), but I don't feel like his heart was in this one. Cavill still bores me. Ezra Miller was awful as The Flash. It's tough because Grant Gustin does it so well on the tv show; it's hard to top. But, Ezra is just a super creepy guy. He's not charming, funny, or loveable, and he can't pretend to be (he's fucking perfect in creepy/angsty roles, though. Stay in your lane, dude.). Jason Mamoa is decent, I guess, but I would have no interest in a stand-alone film. And there's another dude....right? I have no idea who he is or what he does. I was so happy about Amber Heard joining the DCU, but she was barely in this movie. Did her scenes get cut? Anyway, none of them really had good chemistry, and that's the biggest reason the film fails. Also, who was the bad guy? Because it's only been like a week ago since I watched it and I already forgot. Half of the movie was a lead up to reviving Superman, as if the audience doesn't know that is definitely going to happen. So dumb.

5. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle - So much cuter than I was expecting. I have absolutely no attachment to the original. It's probably one of my least favorite Robin William movies. I think it was more to do with my age - I imagine that 14 year old me thought I was "too cool" for it. I should probably revisit at some point. Anyway, I was expecting a dumb action blockbuster type movie, but this was more family friendly than I was expecting. The cast really worked well together. I like that they updated it to video games, plus the whole body switching element made for some really funny situations. I LOVE Karen Gillan. It's crazy that she's in this (which made a shitload of $$$) and the Guardians movies, and yet no-one (in America) knows her by name. Soon, Karen, soon. I think this is the perfect role for The Rock. He's quite charming, and funny. I think the movie overall could have been even funnier. Since they had such a great script, story structure, and cast - I see so much more potential. Overall, though, I was fully entertained with this movie.