I Watched The Invitation (2022)

One of the movies I’ve wanted to watch for a while now was The Invitation, a horror thriller written by Blair Butler and directed by Jessica M. Thompson. Released in 2022, it stars Thomas Doherty and Nathalie Emmanuel. Honestly, I was sold on the film by the trailer, because around the time it was released, I was reading more gothic inspired fiction than I am now. Even so, it took me a while to come back to The Invitation. But I’m glad I did, because this movie was fun and campy, which on occasion is exactly what I’m looking for.

The Invitation starts off relatively benign with Nathalie Emmanuel’s character, Evelyn (Evie) Jackson, working a catering gig where she received a DNA test, as a party favor, from a goodie bag. Which, you know, was kind of random, but it jumpstarted the story with the entry of long-lost family and an impromptu trip to England, for a wedding. The Invitation had a number of gothic fiction hallmarks—secrets, a strange mansion, a heroine who starts out naïve—particularly with a focus on the paranormal kind. So while the setup seemed ordinary, as Evelyn arrived at the manor with wedding guests and a strangely unwelcoming household, it didn’t take long for odd things to start happening. And with a situation like that there was only one way to go from there, and it was downhill for her.

For a large part of its runtime, Evelyn’s experience was almost contemporaneous to its modern time period, except for the hints pointing toward the uncanny and supernatural nature of the traditions that actually dictated the area’s social structure, down to the way of life for the locals. It was insular and the other characters—even those who only appeared in passing—had loyalties, which often clashed with Evelyn’s drive to survive the situation.

Some of the most thrilling parts of The Invitation happened close to the end of the film, when the reveals started happening, and it turned into to a game of cat and mouse. The villains were menacing and effective at creating a daunting challenge for Evelyn to navigate.

Overall, while The Invitation wasn’t a profound film, it didn’t have to be to be good at what it had to offer. And, ultimately, I had a great time watching it.

So, I Watched Matilda the Musical

One of the first movies I watched this year was the Matilda the Musical on Netflix. The trailer was enough of a hook, but, my co-blogger, Adri, watched it before I could and recommended it. For context, the 1996 film is one of my favorites. It was charming, but it also had frank commentary mixed in with plenty of literature themes, and creative (and justified) uses for telekinesis alongside a handful of comedic moments. There’s also the narrator, who interjected at just the right moment. So, I was interested in Netflix’s version, since, as I read, it’s an adaptation of the stage musical—which is a version of Matilda I haven’t seen before.

There were notable differences, but I didn’t go in expecting the musical to be a perfect match for the 1996 film. Either way, I was hooked.

The intro is almost whimsical and colorful, but it’s also entirely ironic, given the substance of the majority of the rest of the film. However, it introduced Matilda’s parents as well as her circumstances in a succinct way. To quote Adri, “It’s an intro I didn’t skip.” It also served as an early offering of the kind of musical numbers to expect going forward. And that aspect was really well-done!

Like the earlier movie, the musical didn’t shy away from the tougher subjects present in the titular character’s story. Agatha Trunchbull is still terrible—personality wise, but also by her actions and behavior towards others. But, I liked the way it was handled, especially how some of the song portions accentuated the narrative.

Overall, Matilda the Musical was bittersweet but hopeful, and the ending was expected, especially if you’ve seen the 1996 film. But, after everything, it was entirely satisfying to finally get there.

Some Thoughts On Ready Player One (2018)

I finally watched Ready Player One. Before that, I read the book—my review—and was surprised by how much I liked it. And based off the trailers and feedback from my sister—who saw the movie before I did—I was expecting to like it. I don’t know why I was so worried, because I did enjoy the movie. And now I have a confession to make: I liked the movie more than the book. Usually, the book and movie are on equal footing, but in this case, I’m leaning more toward the latter. It was due to the changes. There were a lot of noticeable changes between the book and the movie adaptation, particularly the challenges and how the keys were found. However, I liked those changes. It had more of an emotional impact later on, because it put the some of the characters together sooner than the events in the book allowed. Even so, the 2018 movie adaptation remains true to the basic premise of the book.

The visual effects were on point. It was one of the aspects I liked best about Ready Player One as demonstrated by the transition from a more real-world setting to the virtual one, and one of the first major scenes to take place in the OASIS. There was no background track except for the noise to match what was happening on-screen. It was pure, fast-paced, chaotic adrenaline. And I loved it. There was a lot of action and a heaping dose of pop culture references with everything from the Iron Giant, Overwatch, Halo, and even a Batmobile just to name a few. For a movie of its kind—one that basically takes place in a virtual reality, video game-esque world—the references from other media franchises just sort of worked.

So, there was a lot I liked about Ready Player One movie. It managed to balance the story with narrative changes, good acting, and spectacular visual effects. It made for an enjoyable movie. And while the end is pretty complete—just like the book—I would be open to a Ready Player One 2 book or movie. Or should I say Ready Player Two?

Have you read Ready Player One or seen the movie? If so, what are your thoughts about it?

Thought Corner: Power Rangers (2017)

Title: Power Rangers (2017)

Produced by: Haim Saban; Brian Casentini; Marty Bowen; Wyck Godfrey

Directed by: Dean Israelite

Story by: Matt Sazama; Burk Sharpless; Michele Mulroney; Kieran Mulroney 

US Release Date: March 24, 2017

Viewing Format: Redbox DVD Rental

Website

Going into Power Rangers (2017), I honestly didn’t know what to expect. All I remember of it was the old series I used to watch when I was a kid during—or was it after? Before?—the Saturday morning cartoon block. Still, I’ve heard nothing but good things about the film and was excited to watch it. And you know what? Power Rangers was actually really good. I was surprised by how much I liked the film.

I was prepared for a certain level of cheesiness. Instead, what I got was a well-thought out movie with aliens, superpowers, and Zords (cause you can’t forget about the Zords). But that wasn’t all. This movie also explored the complicated and often messy side of life from the perspectives of characters from different and diverse backgrounds. I liked how this film was made, and the action sequences and training scenes were interesting to watch. The characters are worth making mention of because they were my favorite part of the movie. They weren’t perfect, squeaky clean hero characters who never did or got anything wrong. No, they were allowed to make mistakes and grow from them, all the while learning how to be Power Rangers. The individual and collective character development was spot on. They were great individually, but I liked when they worked together as a team.

I didn’t think I’d say it, but this movie was pretty awesome. I’ve come to one conclusion: I need a sequel. I don’t know if there will be one, but hey, you never know.

What about you? Have you seen Power Rangers? If so, tell me what you thought about the movie in the comments down below.

Movie Review: Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

I haven’t done a movie review in a long time. However, I wanted to share what I thought about a movie I recently saw. So, today, that's what I intend to do. From the title of the post, I'm sure you can guess which one. But first, a little more about it...

Title: Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice
Directed by Zack Snyder
Produced by Charles Roven & Deborah Snyder
Written by Chris Terrio & David S. Goyer
Release Date: March 25, 2016
CLICK HERE for the Official Website

So, I went to see Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. It wasn’t bad, and actually, I liked the film a whole lot more than I thought I would.

The story is basically about Batman (Bruce Wane, portrayed by Ben Affleck) and Superman (Clark Kent, portrayed by Henry Cavill) getting into a dispute. To me, it seemed like a warring of different opinions on how to handle injustice, as well as portraying themes of revenge and obsession. The tone was definitely darker without much humor to compensate for the bleak outlook of most scenes found throughout the movie.

Batman V Superman did have a lot of dialogue added between the scenes of tension and action. However, all the dialogue did set up a chain of events, which played out over the course of the film. The characters were both shown in their separate lives, and eventually how their situations collided. These things played a part in affecting Batman and Superman’s attitude towards one another.

There were parts that moved a little slower and were packed with information, but I didn’t mind them much. And when compared to what I liked about the film, it wasn’t that big of a fault. However, I do feel like the trailer provided some spoilers about what happened later in the film, which I was a little disappointed by. But, the visuals were nice; the cinematic score was dramatic and catchy, and a definite highlight was Wonder Woman, who I want to see more of (I have my fingers crossed in the hopes that Wonder Woman's independent movie will be good).

And then there was Alexander (Lex) Luthor (played by Jesse Eisenberg). I was not expecting his character to be done so well. At first appearance he seemed like, I don’t know, an ordinary person. But then, his troubling behavior evolved into something more sinister, which showed his true colors. In short, Lex Luthor was a convincing villain.

I tried to keep an open mind with the movie. So, I went in with the mindset of forming my own opinion. And overall, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice wasn’t really that bad.

So, have you seen the movie yet? What did you think of it? Did you like it, hate it, or just feel sort of meh about it?

Movie Review: Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Title: Jupiter Ascending
Director(s): Andy & Lana Wachowskis
Produced by: Grant Hill, The Wachowskis 
Written By: The Wachowskis
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: February 6, 2015
Source: Rented from Redbox
Gifs & Movie Poster from the official Jupiter Ascending website (Check them out here)

Yes, I actually watched this movie from start to finish because I was curious to see what it was like. My initial thoughts—upon seeing the trailer—for Jupiter Ascending was that it was going to be a science fiction/fantasy film of epic proportions. But after watching the movie, I was more than a little disappointed by it.

Here’s the thing, Jupiter Ascending had a lot of potential to be great, but suffered from too many flaws.

Albeit, visually stunning, the movie fails in the story department. I felt like I was watching different, segmented scenes with transitions that couldn’t properly put them together. Thus, the entire movie felt like a video game with villains popping in and out—disappearing altogether once what they had to offer to the plot was over and done with. I would have liked to see more of a resolution, but instead, I was left feeling like I’d just sat through two hours of something that wasn’t complete—like it needed a sequel to further explore the world.

For one thing, this movie was incredibly long, and some of the scenes felt like they lasted forever, like they were fillers to take up some of the space. At several times I found myself a little bored by it. Now the detail put into the visual aspects were as I said above, nice—even stunning—especially the scenes directly involving space and the various planets featured in the movie—as well as the alien technology/Abrasax ships. And then there was Jupiter Jones (played by Mila Kunis), ugh, I felt like she just sort of had this I’m-kind-of-bored expression throughout the entire movie. And when she actually did something productive—being saved by Caine Wise (played by Channing Tatum) doesn’t count—that it seemed so out of character for her that it was almost entirely unbelievable. Her character could have been better if developed more. Caine Wise was a complete (not even borderline) dues ex machina. His presence was more than convenient, and he showed up whenever Jupiter seemed to be stuck, which happened way too often. Now the characters weren’t all bad and Diomika Tsing (played by Nikki Amuka-Bird) was probably my favorite character in the entire movie. She was the captain that oversaw the Aegis ship that was present in the movie—she was kind of awesome.

At the end of the day, Jupiter Ascending seemed like the kind of movie that would interest me, but the story itself basically destroyed my enjoyment of the film. If you want to see this movie I suggest renting it before buying it.

Movie Review: Max (2015)

Title: Max (2015)

Director: Boaz Yakin

Screenwriter: Boaz Yakin & Sheldon Lettich

Release Date: June 26, 2015

Rated PG

For More Information visit Max-Official Movie Site.

Max-Official Movie Trailer

Max is a heartfelt tearjerker that will keep you engrossed every second of the way. We don’t think there will be a dry eye in the theater. The execution of the movie and pacing were simply perfect. Each scene was so realistically portrayed that it took you right into the moment. And although we had seen the scenes that included the explosion on the battlefield and Kyle's funeral in the trailer, it still elicited tears and chills when they were played through. It broached the topic of the loyalty of a dog. We loved how the dedicated service dog developed a new bond and helped Kyle’s family heal after his death. Although we went into this movie thinking that it would be just average, we were pleasantly surprised that this was one of the best movies we’ve seen this year.—It’s definitely a must see this summer!

***Thanks to Warner Bros. Pictures we attended an advance screening of Max on June 18, 2015***

Movie Review: Inside Out (2015)

Picture Retrieved 6/23/2015 from
Inside Out Official Website

Picture Retrieved 6/23/2015 from
Inside Out Official Website

Title:  Inside Out (2015)

Directors: Pete Doctor & Renaldo Del Carmen
Writers: Pete Doctor & Renaldo Del Carmen
Screenwriters: Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley & Pete Doctor

Release Date: June 19, 2015

Rated: PG 

Click on the link to find out more about Inside Out

Inside Out was a cute, funny and sometimes sad movie that will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride like never before; that is considering that this is a movie about emotions.  As Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) tries to make sense of her family's move and adjust to her new home, her emotions go awry. The journey inside Riley’s mind provides an insider’s view of what happens when an individual struggles with change. As such, Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) came into play. Things got slightly tumultuous as Joy was on a happy, happy, happy crusade and sadness seemed like extra weight to carry around. Fear brought some humor to the screen and Anger—well; there were just times when he was out of control. And Disgust—well just take a look at this trailer….

Yeah, she was a opinionated and added a touch of sass to the mix. Needless to say, Riley’s behavior was questionable at times. Much of the focus remained on the interworking of Riley’s mind, mainly Joy and Sadness. And although Joy initially had her head in the clouds (everything was happy) and seemed to think that the world revolved around her, I liked the important realization she made upon falling into a dark pit. As for the negative aspects of the film, there were some drawn-out scenes and watching it in 3D didn’t enhance the visual effects. Yet,  Inside Out remains an entertaining, family friendly movie.