Us Movie Review

“Us”

Release: 2019

Rotten Tomatoes: 93%

Movie Matter: 8 stars

Available: OnDemand

Review:

“The lord shall bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hear them.”

– Jeremiah 11:11

The number sequence “11:11” appears in a variety of ways in Jordan Peele’s latest horror classic, “Us”, and its’ meaning is open to interpretation. In just his second time directing a feature film, Peele created another masterpiece to follow up his Oscar-winning debut film “Get Out” (2017).

“Us” follows the story of Adelaide Wilson and her family (the Wilson’s), as they vacation to Santa Cruz Beach, a place where Adelaide experienced an extremely traumatic event as a young girl. Her experience is depicted in the opening scene, which is the most important scene of the movie in my opinion. I don’t want to spoil anything beyond that!

When the Wilson Family arrives in Santa Cruz, things appear relatively normal, until a group creepy Wilson-family lookalikes show up at their house, and then shit really hits the fan. The doppelgängers represent “Us” (the movie title), and are designed to portray the “You vs Us” mindset that many people fall into in terms of racial issues and social change.

I thought Lupita Nyong’o was unbelievable as main character Adelaide Wilson, and I’d argue that she should’ve won an Oscar for her performance. Overall, I thought “Us” was a great film, and definitely a must-see movie for horror movie fans. If you don’t like scary movies, I would stick with Nickelodeon.

I don’t usually get creeped out by scary movies, and I don’t consider myself a “spiritual” person, but my experience with this movie was different. I say different because since the day I watched it, I’ve been constantly looking at the clock right at 11:11 (AM or PM), which apparently is a common experience.

Many neurologists believe that looking at the clock at 11:11 is purely coincidental, while others believe it represents something more ominous. I guess only God knows, but judging from his quote above he probably isn’t willing to help “us”.

After careful consideration, I’m giving “Us” a generous 8/10 stars.

Joker Movie Review

Joker

Release: 2019

Rotten Tomatoes: 68%

Movie Matter: 9 stars

Available: OnDemand

Review:

“Forgive my laughter, I have a condition.”

Turns out that’s a big ask in the unforgiving city of Gotham, where laughter (unusual or not) can be seen as sinister.

Joaquin Phoenix stars as Arthur Fleck, a wanna-be standup comedian, who suffers from a neurological disorder that causes him to laugh uncontrollably (PBA syndrome). The citizens of Gotham are not exactly an accepting crowd, and Fleck gets taken advantage of constantly because of his mental illness. The saddest part is, he actually hates laughing and seems pained by it. In an effort to become what he considers a “normal, happy person”; Arthur creates an alter-ego, the Joker.

The Joker’s isolation from society makes him daydream about a happier life. In one of his dreams he envisions himself on his favorite tv show “Live with Murray Franklin”, a talk show hosted by Murray Franklin himself (Robert De Niro). The Joker is searching for his biological father throughout the film, which he believes is either Murray, or Thomas Wayne (Batman’s father), won’t spoil anything further on that matter!

I thought this take on the Joker was fantastic and original because Arthur Fleck didn’t start out as the villain, he became the villain. The Joker was a direct reflection of how he was treated, and a product of the system, which is a metaphor for how many people with mental illness feel today. Director Todd Phillips created the ultimate anti-hero in in the Joker, and I thought the writing was exceptional.

Let’s be clear though, nothing will ever top Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker character in the Dark Knight (2008), which I believe was the best acting performance in movie history. However, I do think Joaquin Phoenix was excellent as the Joker, and his laugh was so convincing, it was honestly uncomfortable at certain points. If I ever do stand up comedy, he’s sitting front row as my personal hype-man. Overall, “Joker” was a solid movie, but it did drag a bit, especially at the end! All things considered, I’m giving “Joker” 9 stars!

Ford v. Ferrari Movie Review

Ford v. Ferrari

Release: 2019

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

Movie Matter: 7 stars

Available: Amazon Prime & OnDemand

Review:

“Ford is an ugly company that builds ugly little cars in an ugly factory.” – Enzo Ferrari.

An interesting take from the man who ended up selling his bankrupt luxury car brand to Fiat in 1969.

Ford v. Ferrari was an awesome movie, and I highly recommend checking it out. The true story is a refreshing, no-bullshit take on the auto industry and corporate America in general. Christian Bale, best known for his role as Batman in the Dark Knight Films definitely didn’t need the bat-mobile in this racing classic, and I thought he killed it playing British race-car driver Ken Miles.

The uniquely skilled, and well-experienced driver is known for his questionable antics and risky racing strategies. Luckily, he has his old pal Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) to keep him in check. Matt Damon was electric as Texas-native Carroll Shelby, a former-racing champion himself, and proud owner of Shelby Automotive. Despite his first name, Shelby is a man’s man, and it’s pretty hilarious watching him and Ken Miles go at it like teenage boys throughout the movie. After Shelby shows Henry Ford II just how fast Ford’s new and improved cars actually go, he decides to let Shelby and Miles represent Ford at the “24 Hours of Le Mans” car race in France.

Also, John Bernthal plays Lee Iococca who is a crucial, yet passive character in the story. Berenthal’s performance was unreal, and he is meant to represent the perspective of the audience in the movie. Not sure who John Bernthal is? He’s the guy who keeps showing up in modern classics like the Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Fury (2014), The Accountant (2016), WindRiver (2017). He’s “sell me this pen” guy in Wolf of Wall Street! Director James Mangold did an excellent job with this movie. The movie had an awesome cast, a terrific backstory, and walked away with 2 Oscars at this years Academy Awards! I’m giving Ford v. Ferrari 7 out of a possible 10 stars.

Knives Out Movie Review

Knives Out

Rotten Tomatoes: 76%

My Rating: 4/10 stars

Available: OnDemand

Genre: Mystery/Comedy

Review:

Knives out tells the story of a wealthy crime novelist (Harlan Thrombey), played by Christopher Plummer, who is found dead the morning after his 85th birthday party. The story takes place at the grandfather’s mansion, which is located on a small coastal town just outside of Boston, MA. The film details the events that took place following the discovery of the corpse.

The detectives brought in to investigate the case include: Lead Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), Lieutenant Elliott (LaKieth Stanfield), and Detective Hardrock (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Things heat up pretty quickly when Detective Blanc starts questioning family members.

The movie had a solid cast and a very intriguing opening, but I ultimately couldn’t get over Daniel Craig’s attempt at a southern accent. Don’t get me wrong, I think he is a great actor and I loved him as James Bond, but this role just wasn’t made for him. His cringe-worthy attempt at a southern drawl was truly bad (no exaggeration).

Although, I thought some of the other performances were great, especially Chris Evans, who is best-known for his role as Captain America in the Avengers movie series. I also thought LaKieth Stanfield was solid, and he seems to be showing up in a lot of classics nowadays. Stanfield is best-known for his roles in “Get Out”, “Sorry to Bother You”, and “Uncut Gems”.

Overall, I thought “Knives Out” was kind of lame to be honest. If you have nothing to watch, I would maybe give it a shot, but don’t set the bar too high. I’m giving Knives Out a rating of 4/10 stars.

The Invitation Movie Review

“The Invitation”

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

My Score: 7/10 stars

Available: Netflix

Review:

The Invitation was a solid movie, especially if you’re into horror and/or suspense films. With that being said, I think this movie is definitely worth a watch! The Invitation had some “Get Out” vibes to it, which I think makes sense based on their similar plots. If you enjoyed “Get Out”, you are definitely going to want to check this movie out!

The protagonist in the movie is Will, who is a well-intentioned, yet extremely uptight individual. Will and his girlfriend receive an invitation to a dinner party that is being hosted by Will’s ex-wife (Eden) and her new husband! To make things a little more uncomfortable, the dinner party is being held at Will’s old house, which Eden and her new husband now share. On their way to the party, Will and his girlfriend hit a wild animal crossing the road, which is eerily similar to the deer accident scene in the movie “Get Out.” I hope Get Out’s director didn’t “Peele” any material off of this movie.

Initially, things at the party seem normal and everyone is excited about the friendly reunion, but Will has a more sinister theory on the gathering. The reason for the party becomes evident toward the middle of the movie, and the director does a great job of dropping hints along the way. Without giving too much away, I’ll say that things get pretty “culty”, pretty fast. If you are into cults or anything along those lines, this movie is a must watch!

Overall, I think that the Invitation is a solid movie that really gets your mind racing. Again, definitely a great flick for horror, suspense, and mystery fans. There’s a lot of quality foreshadowing, hint-dropping, and misdirections that keep you guessing (and second-guessing) yourself throughout the movie. I think one drawback is that some of the key hints/clues could have been more subtle, but other than that I thought it was a solid flick. All things considered, I’m giving the Invitation a 7 out of 10 stars.

Richard Jewell Movie Review

Richard Jewell

Release: 2019

Available: OnDemand

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%

My Score: 4/10 Stars

Review:

“There’s a bomb in Centennial Park. You have 30 Minutes.”

These were the words that turned Richard Jewell from hero to villain in just a matter of days.

The movie is based on the true story of Richard Jewell and the actions he took during the “Centennial Bombings”, which took place during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Richard Jewell is a lonely middle-aged security guard, who shares a very close relationship with his mother (Kathy Bates). Richard gets taken advantage of by the FBI in the aftermath of the Centennial Bombings, as they use his misguided allegiance toward the badge to turn him into a suspect in the case. In reality, Richard Jewell was a hero, and took the action that a lot of others wouldn’t, and it ended up saving lives.

The lead investigator in the movie was played by John Hamm, who I thought was one of the movie’s saving graces, but I’m a little biased because I’m a big John Hamm fan. Hamm’s character was very similar to his character in “The Town”, which I thought played very well into this movie. Unfortunately, I thought the actor who played Richard Jewell was a little over the top. I won’t pretend like I’m an expert on acting, but I’m usually able to spot bad acting, and I just wasn’t buying his character.

I thought the movie was just ok, and was sort of a let down based on my high expectations. I also thought the movie contained a lot of forced “artistic” camerawork that made the movie drag at times. Overall, I’m giving this movie 4 out of 10 stars.