Deadpool 2 Review

Another Saturday night has come and gone meaning another movie just had to be watched. This week HBO actually had on something that I not only wanted to see, but something that I didn’t already see in the theater. That is a rare occurrence now a days which is why after Game of Thrones I will be giving up my HBO subscription since there’s really nothing good going on. Anyway, I enjoyed the first Deadpool, which you can read my review of here, so I had some really high expectations going in for the sequel. Keep reading to see if this movie met my very high expectations.

Deadpool 2 continues the story of Wade Wilson, played by Ryan Reynolds, who is now immortal thanks to some experimentation that was done on him because of his incurable cancer. Living his life as Deadpool, Wade is happy as can be until a life changing event with Vanessa, played by Morena Baccarin, takes place and Wade just wants to try to find a way to die. He’ll live even more recklessly as he normally does until Cable, played by Josh Brolin, comes from the future to stop Deadpool from helping out a new super villain Fire Fist, played by Julian Dennison. Will Cable be able to do this? Will Deadpool actually be able to kill himself? All of this and more will be answered in this exciting sequel.

I really enjoyed this sequel because it took the first movie and just amplified it by 100%. If you thought the first movie was way over the top, the second one is even more over the top than the first one. I didn’t think it was possible, but it totally is and was as the action scenes were more intense, the story line was way more over the top, and the comedy was also way more over the top. This movie exceeded all of my expectations. I thought this didn’t fall into any of the sequel tropes that usually occur and I’m eager to see the third movie hoping that it will be just as original as this one was and even more over the top if that’s even possible.

Ryan Reynolds is just a great Deadpool. I really can’t see anyone else playing Deadpool and once his time as Deadpool is up I’m really going to miss him and really can’t see this being done with anyone else. That being said, the supporting cast is great as well as it brings back Brianna Hildebrand and T.J. Wells and introduces new characters Josh Brolin and Zazie Beetz. The cast works really well together and even though the movie heavily relies on Ryan Reynolds. He does a good job of pulling the cast together and making this the best movie it can be.

Overall I give this movie a 5 out of 5.

If you loved the first Deadpool, this is a definite watch as it just continues Wade’s journey and leaves it open for yet another sequel. If you haven’t seen the first Deadpool, it’s a must watch and you’ll have to watch it before this movie so that you know what’s going on going in. This movie relies heavily on the fact that you’ve watched the first movie. I would say that if you’re a Marvel fan this is a much watch and even if you aren’t, why not give this series a try? It’s action packed, funny, and has an actual story that’s good. Either way I put this movie on my must watch list.

The Incredibles 2 Review

14 years. That’s how long I waited to see this much anticipated sequel to a movie that to this day whenever I see it on TV I will stop what I’m doing and watch. The Incredibles was a groundbreaking Pixar movie that had everyone talking. The fact that it took 14 years to make a sequel to it meant that there was a lot of expectations going in. It also meant that everyone who originally watched the first movie was 14 years older and wasn’t really sure if this movie would age with the audience. When I first seen this movie I was 20, so based off of that keep reading to see if this movie met my very high expectations.

Taking place right after the first movie ended, I mean seriously, it picks up right where The Incredibles ends, you’ll rejoin the Parr family who are a family of Super Heroes. Still in hiding because Super Heroes are banned, Elastigirl, voiced by Holly Hunter, and Mr. Incredible, voiced by Craig T. Nelson, find themselves having to go back to a normal life until they get an offer from Winston, voiced by Bob Odenkirk, and his sister Eveyln, voiced by Catherine Keener. They want to make Super’s legal again because their mother and father believed in them so much. Winston grew up worshiping Mr. Incredible, Elastigril, and Frozone, voiced by Samuel L. Jackson, so he makes Elastigirl the one who’s going to bring Super’s back by showing how great they are meaning that Mr. Incredible is left at home with the kids trying to raise them. This will lead to Elastigirl’s first new arch nemesis The Screenslayer who believes that people don’t need Super’s and will do everything to sabotage Winston’s plans. Can Elastigirl save the day while Mr. Incredible plays Mr. Mom? You’ll have to watch and find out.

I’ve seen and heard a lot of negative things about this movie going in and I have to say that I have no idea what the hell these people were watching. Seriously. I thought that this movie was just well, incredible. I loved every single minute of it and felt like no time at all had passed from the first movie to the second movie. The CGI did change as time progressed, but it only enhanced the movie and made it that much more awesome. The movie was funny as Mr. Incredible tries to take care of the kids and fails miserably while Jack Jack comes into powers of his own and has an epic battle with a racoon. The movie was also action packed as you get to see Elastigirl at her best and not just some stay at home mom. The main villain of this movie, The Screenslayer, is also so perfect and fitting that it just brings the whole movie together. Sure this movie was two hours long, but I think that it was so long because Pixar knew that the original audience that watched The Incredibles had also aged with the movie and were going to need more than a 90 minute movie to keep them entertained.

The cast for this movie, which is the same cast from the original movie, except for Dash, was still awesome. All of the main actors, Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, and Samuel L. Jackson work excellently together and it pays off. The cast has amazing chemistry and makes it believable that not only are they Super’s, but that they’re family and friends. All of them really make the movie and I couldn’t see this movie being cast any different.

Overall I give this movie a 5 out of 5.

14 years waiting for a sequel was a long one, but it paid off in the end and I seriously wouldn’t mind watching both The Incredibles and The Incredibles 2 back to back. I thought this movie lived up to every single expectation that I had and even exceeded it. There wasn’t a time in this movie where I thought it dragged or that it became uninteresting. I would say that if you’re a fan of the original movie that this is a must see because you know that you were waiting for a sequel to one of the best Pixar movies ever made. If you’ve never seen The Incredibles I would highly recommend seeing the first one and then watching this one. Either way this movie gets the must watch stamp of approval from me and is one that shouldn’t be missed.

Tully Review

When I first seen the trailer for this movie, I thought it was an interesting one. Being a fan of Diablo Cody, I kept this movie on my radar for a while until I forgot about it. This happens because honestly there are just so many movies to see and other things to do. Anyway, I just happened to see this movie premiering on HBO and decided to give it a watch. Keep reading to see what I thought about it.

Tully tells the story of Marlo, played by Charlize Theron. Marlo is pregnant with her third child at the start of the movie and before having her third child you get a glimpse of her life. Dealing with two children is hard enough and it’s taking a toll on Marlo as her second child has special needs and her husband is basically absent most of the time. After giving birth to her third child, Marlo continues to stumble downhill until she hires Tully, played by Mackenzi Davis, as her night nurse. Things start to look up for Marlo at this point until things spiral out of control again.

I thought this movie was just OK. I really couldn’t get into it as there was nothing relatable in it for me. I do applaud Diablo Cody for making movie about postpartum depression. This disease is often overlooked even though there are more than 3 million cases of it over the course of a year. Marlo was one of the more severe cases of this disease and it shows how all of her symptoms, which are obvious throughout the course of the movie, are just overlooked by the people around her. She’s not seen and she’s not taken seriously until the end when a major twist is revealed. The twist was a really interesting one and made the movie, but it happened too late in the game for it to actually save the movie.

Charlize Theron and Mackenzie Davis really make this movie as they have a great back and forth between one another. The rest of the cast is a good stand in but don’t really matter. Ron Livingston plays the absentee husband pretty damn well and I’m not sure if he’s just that good of an actor or if he’s just bored with this role as he’s kind of typecast as the same character over and over again. Anyway, the cast tries really hard to make this movie work, but it was a really difficult task.

Overall I give this movie a 2 out of 5.

While this movie tries to shine a light on postpartum depression, I feel like it didn’t hit the mark with me or probably a lot of other viewers. I still applaud Diablo Cody for her effort, but this just wasn’t a movie that I found interesting in any way. I honestly don’t even know how to categorize this movie. It wasn’t a comedy and didn’t really feel like a drama either. I would say that if you miss this movie it wouldn’t be a huge loss, but if you do watch this movie, don’t go in expecting something life changing or altering.

A Wrinkle in Time Review

To be honest, I really had no interest in watching this movie, I picked it on a night where I basically couldn’t find anything else to watch. I seen this on Netflix and figured why not. It’s not like I read the book, I know I’m so uncultured, and was super excited to see this adaptation of it. Like I said, it was just there, and I needed a movie to watch. So with no expectations I went into this movie. Keep reading to see what I thought about it.

A Wrinkle in Time is about Meg Murry, played by Storm Reid, and her little brother Charles Wallace, played by Deric McCabe. Outcasted at school because of their missing father, Mr. Murry, played by Chris Pine, the children rebel and act out. Mr. Murry was a famous scientist who went missing after an experiment, others say he went crazy and left his wife and kids while other say he had an affair. It’s great for children to hear this about a father that they’re hoping one day comes back. Anyway, Charles Wallace will come in contact with Mrs. Which, played by Oprah Winfrey, Mrs. Whatsit, played by Reese Witherspoon, and Mrs. Who, played by Mindy Kaling, and find that their father isn’t missing, but has been lost in a Wrinkle in Time for the past five years. To find him Meg, Charles Wallace, and their tag along classmate Calvin, played by Levi Miller, will have to enter this wrinkle and face the danger of negativity to get their father back.

While this movie did have its moments that were touching and made you reflect on things and maybe see somethings in a new light, all of this was overshadowed by the presence of Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Who, who are larger than life and take up too much of the movie’s runtime. All of the Mrs.’s felt like guest appearances that were taken too far when the story should have concentrated on the children more. Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin all have their own problems and they’ll have to get through them in order to pass through this wrinkle in time in order to find Mr. Murry. I feel like the movie would have been better and should have been better if the Mrs.’s roles were reduced to about half of the time that they were on screen. Also this movie reminded me of Little Big Planet 2 for some reason, probably because of the whole negativity taking over the world thing, but anyway it was kind of a snooze fest and had me pretty bored as I checked my phone frequently to see if I had a new match on my dating app, sadly I did not.

In a movie where the children are supposed to shine as actors to play these parts, it was Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling who stole the show with their over the top performance and believe me it did not help the movie one bit. I will say that Chris Pine played a great part that was more like a guest appearance and it worked perfectly for them. The over the top performance by Winfrey, Witherspoon, and Kaling, just ripped this movie apart and there was no coming back from that.

Overall I give this movie a 1 out of 5.

While touching and heartwarming at times, all of that is overshadowed by over the top performances that take away from the plot of the movie. This is sad because I feel like the plot had a lot of potential but it just couldn’t be achieved when the movie basically concentrated half of it’s time on the three superstar actors that were picked for the Mrs.’s roles. This was annoying and made the movie boring and just unwatchable at times. I would suggest staying away from this and if you’re looking for something similar, but be warned it’s a whole lot sadder, I would say watch Bridge to Terabithia instead.

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women Review

I’ve wanted to see this movie for the longest time because Wonder Woman is one of my all time favorite comic book characters. Seeing what made her come into creation and why sounded intriguing to me. Unfortunately, my movie theater did not play this movie and to be honest, I added it to Hulu a long time ago and forgot about it until I noticed it when searching for a movie. After such a long wait, my expectations were extremely high. Keep reading to see if my extremely high expectations for this movie were met.

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women tells the story of the creator of Wonder Woman, William Moulton Marston, played by Luke Evans. Before creating Wonder Woman, Marston and his wife, Elizabeth Marston, played by Rebecca Hall, both worked at Harvard where he was a professor and they were both perfecting the first ever lie detector test. That’s where Olive Bryne, played by Bella Heathcote, comes in. A student of William’s, she soon becomes both William’s and Elizabeth’s assistant to helping perfect the lie detector test until she becomes so much more.

I really enjoyed this movie. I thought that the premise of the whole movie was enjoyable. It’s been disputed that this wasn’t the whole truth, probably because of the highly sexual nature of this movie which shows both Elizabeth and Olive together as well as Olive and William together. Whether true or not, what’s not debatable is that both of these women inspired Wonder Woman and made Wonder Woman what she is because they both embody the perfect woman, the perfect balance, and that’s what Wonder Woman is. There wasn’t a time in this movie, which had a run time of almost two hours, that didn’t have me captivated. I was actually upset when it was over because I just wanted to know more. There were little bits at the end that explained what happened after the movie ended, but to be honest if the film was longer I wouldn’t have minded one bit. I also enjoyed how this movie was basically told as a flashback as William is fighting for his work to not be banded for showing certain images and the context of the original Wonder Woman comic that were too controversial at that time.

The Relationship Between Olive and the Marston’s While this movie shows that Olive had a sexual relationship with both Elizabeth and William, she even had William’s children, I can’t help but feel that she was more into Elizabeth than William. Throughout the movie, Olive is seen pursing Elizabeth and the approval or disapproval on Elizabeth’s part changes the course of the movie. When Elizabeth is approving of Olive’s actions, Olive is at her happiest. When Elizabeth is upset or pushing Olive away, perhaps because of her own insecurities about her sexuality, Olive is miserable. In this open relationship between Olive, Elizabeth, and William, it seems like William is an afterthought and Olive is only with him at Elizabeth’s approval. Let me know what your take on all of this down in the comments section below.

I loved the cast of this movie. It couldn’t have been more perfectly casted as all three actors, Luke Evens, Rebecca Hall, and Bella Heathcore, made this movie. The chemistry between Hall and Heathcore is of the charts and makes this movie more enjoyable. Without the cast working as well as they did together this movie wouldn’t’ have been as good as it was.

Overall I give this movie a 5 out of 5.

I thought this movie was just amazing. I loved it from start to finish and couldn’t have asked for a better movie. While all of this movie might or might not be real, the story of how these two strong women became Wonder Woman was. Saying that, I will say that this movie was gratuitous at time with the sex scenes, but they felt like an important part of the movie and not something that was thrown in for the shock value. If you’re interested in seeing how Wonder Woman came to be the icon that she is today than this is the movie for you. If you’re going to be squeamish about three consenting adults in an open relationship with complex dynamics, then I would say to skip this movie.

Bird Box Review

As much as I wanted to wanted to watch this movie, I was also extremely weary going in. In the past, Netflix has kind of been a hit and miss when it comes to their original movies. Sure this movie showed some huge stars, but we all know that a movie can have a cast of multi-million dollar stars and still be a piece of shit. Deciding to take a chance on this movie, I went in with low expectations. Keep reading to see what I thought about this movie.

Taking place in the near future, Bird Box is about Mallory, played by Sandra Bullock. The beginning of the movie shows Mallory barking orders at two children Boy, played by Julian Edwards, and Girl, played by Vivien Lyra Blair, before putting on their blindfolds and heading out on a 22 mile trek down river in hopes of finding sanctuary. Cut to five years earlier when Mallory and her sister, played by Sarah Paulson, are on their way to the hospital to get an ultrasound on the then pregnant Mallory. There’s talk of an outbreak spreading across other nations of mass suicides, but of course it’ll be figured out before anything like that comes to the US. Cut to ten minutes later when disaster strikes and Mallory finds herself fighting for her life. Finding safe haven in a random house with a bunch of strangers, Mallory will have to learn how to survive without using her sight because the moment someone see’s what’s outside is the moment they kill themselves by any means possible

A rip-off of A Quite Place? The debate between whether or not this movie is similar and therefore a rip-off of A Quite Place, which you can read my review of that movie here, is on. Is this movie a rip-off of a successful movie or does it stand on its own? While at times this movie does seem like a different version of A Quite Place, because in this movie they can’t see and scream really loudly in order to find someone, it is different. Concepts of the “unknown” are present in both movies, even though you know in A Quite Place about the aliens, you never really see them all too much, but each movie stands on its own. I can see where the comparisons come in, but I think that both movies have enough differences that they stand on their own. Let me know down in the comments section if you think that Bird Box is a rip-off of A Quite Place.

Overall I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It captivated me from beginning to end and was intriguing. The characters in this movie suffered from the normal horror movie tropes, but the concept was an interesting one. The image of people killing themselves after encountering the “unknown” were disturbing while the people who felt saved and clear after encountering the “unknown” was interesting. While never truly explained what is plaguing the world in this movie, the fear of the unknown is enough to keep this movie interesting, and gives the characters motive to use their other senses in order to survive. This movie could have done without some things, that I’ll get to in a moment, but overall I would call this movie a success. The only thing that would have made this movie better was to perhaps go into the mind of someone who seen one of these things to see what was so horrifying that they felt the need to kill themselves.

When Did Horror Movies Become So Emotional? Both Bird Box and A Quite Place have highly emotional endings that had this horror movie fan shed a few tears. When the hell did this happen and why did it happen? Horror movies are just that, they’re supposed to scare you, maybe make you think of a “what if” at best, but make you cry? No thank you. Save that shit for drama’s. I can see the emotion aspect of being used to gain more female viewers, but that’s just a slap in the face to existing horror movies fans. If you aren’t a horror movie fan, the promise of some overly emotional ending isn’t going to turn you into a fan or make the movie any more popular.

While I would say that this was a great ensemble movie, it wasn’t. Sandra Bullock is the star of this movie and it basically revolves around her. The other characters in the movie seem only there to advance her story and nothing more. People like Sarah Paulson and B.D. Wong play small roles as does John Malkovich. I find this movie to probably be Sandra Bullock’s most honest role as her rom-com performances seem forced while this role seems to be more fitting. That being said, this is probably my favorite Sandra Bullock movie because it seems to be the most fitting role for her.

Overall I give this movie a 3.5 out of 5.

Don’t get the wrong idea from my rating of this movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I felt horror baited as I was promised a horror movie and at best got an emotional thriller. I watched people disturbingly kill themselves one minute as they seen whatever they saw and the next minute watch a woman fall in love. One minute Sandra Bullock was fighting off a “woken” man with a machete and the next minute having an emotional break through. Other than that I genuinely enjoyed the movie and the thrill and horror of the unknown striking at any moment. If you’re a horror fan looking for blood and gore, I would say look somewhere else because you aren’t going to find it here. If you’re a fan of emotional thrillers and don’t mind seeing some disturbing images I would say that this is a movie for you and is definitely worth a watch.

Lizzie Review

I was eagerly awaiting the release of this movie in the movie theater because this was one of those rare movies that I actually wanted to go see in the theater when to my surprise one night when looking for a movie to watch, because as of late HBO has been lackluster on the Saturday night movies, I found this one. Skipping the movie theater release that was supposed to have, it seemed like this movie went straight to DVD release, or my little theater just decided to not play it. Either way, I rented this movie and went in with high expectations. Keep reading to see if my super high expectations were met.

Lizzie is another telling of the famous Lizzie Borden, played this time by Chloe Sevigny, who murdered her family and got away with it. This is different than the other Lizzie movies because it shows a different motivation that Lizzie had for murdering her family. While this movie still showed how brutal Lizzie’s father was, the “spells”, which were really seizures, that Lizzie suffered from, and the money situation, it also showed a somewhat love story between Lizzie and the maid that was hired to help care for the house Bridget, played by Kristen Stewart. This movie focused heavily on the relationship between Lizzie and Bridget which was more than platonic and at that time, which was 1892, was highly inappropriate. While most other movies about Lizzie Border focus on the main trial where she gets away with it all. This movie focused on they why. Why did she do what she did. What motivated Lizzie to kill both her father and her step-mother and in this move the answer is Bridget. After being discovered together, Bridget is being forced to leave as Lizzie is just condemned as sick and Lizzie just isn’t having it. That’s where she comes up with the plan to create the perfect murder in hopes that she can have her happily ever after with Bridget.

Out of all the Lizzie Borden movies that I watched, I have to say that this is my favorite. The fact that it didn’t concentrate highly on the trial, but on the motive was interesting as most of the movies I’ve watched will concentrate on the trial making it like an episode of Law and Order. This movie was different though. It showed actual motive for what may or may not be true. No one will ever know because Lizzie Borden was never convicted because a lady of her caliber would never be able to do such a thing. That being said, I would have thought that the brutality of Lizzie’s father would have been enough motive, but the fact that they added in a love story between Lizzie and Bridget was a different twist. Did it really happen? No one will ever know because after the trial both women went their own ways as Bridget refused to stay with Lizzie. Did they really have a relationship? This was an interesting take on the whole story and brought a new perspective into a story that has been told many times and will probably continue to be told even more times.

I have to say that not being the biggest fans of Chloe Sevigny or Kristen Stewart, that I thought the acting in this movie was just phenomenal and made me respect these two actress a hell of a lot more. Without them this movie would have just been horrible, but they were both right for the roles that they played and it made the movie that much more interesting. Since they made this into a love story type of thing, the fact that both actresses had a great amount of chemistry only helped the movie. I have to say that a big kudos goes out to Kristen Stewart who has come a hell of a long way from those Twilight movies and has turned into a fine actress.

Overall I give this movie a 4.5 out of 5.

If you’re interested in hearing about the tale of Lizzie Borden again, this is one of the best movies out there to watch. Unlike the other movies, it doesn’t feel like an episode of Law and Order as it concentrates more on the actual motive behind the killings rather than the trial itself. It tells a tragic love story between Lizzie and Bridget and gives you a scope of how far the brutality of Lizzie’s father reached. I will say that this movie is a little gratuitous at times as it shows the actual killing of both Lizzie’s step-mother and father as well as a sex scene between Lizzie and Bridget. While there was only one sex scene, I have to say that I think the tone of this movie should have matched the 1892 time period feel. I think that the sex scene should have been edited out and everything else that was shown between Lizzie and Bridget should have been left in to match the setting of the movie. It still showed a story of how much these two people cared for one another and it didn’t need a sex scene to actually show the audience this feeling. If the audience couldn’t tell that there was something going on between these two that was more than platonic then there was something wrong. Other than that the movie was an interesting one and shouldn’t be missed.

The Meg Review

This is one of those movies that I waited a while to see. I was supposed to go and see it in the theater, but lately I have to say that the theater has become less appealing and I much more enjoy watching a movie in the comfort of my own home where I can pause if I have to. That being said, there are times when I’ll actually want to go to the theater to see a movie, but it has to be something really special. Anyway, I waited months for this movie to come out and when I finally got the chance to rent it I did. Keep reading to see if this movie was worth the wait.

There’s an experiment going on out in the middle of nowhere, funded by billionaire tycoon Jack Morris, played by Rainn Wilson, no it’s not to build and underwater city, some BioShock humor there for my fellow gamers who read my movie reviews, but it’s to explore the bottom of the ocean which is a big thing. Anyway, after a sub full of people get stuck at the bottom of the ocean after being hit by some prehistoric creator, it’s up to expert diver Jonas Taylor, played by Jason Statham, to save the crew. While doing his job, Jonas is attacked by this prehistoric creature and the end results leads the thought extinct Megalodon to rise from the bottom of the ocean to the top to cause some Jaws like terror. This leads the remaining team of scientists to come up with a way to stop this shark and make sure the beaches are safe once more.

I have to say that for a shark movie, which are way over done by the way and should have stopped a while ago, this was pretty different. It threw some science in there, which works for this movie just like it did for Deep Blue Sea. It also has the typical shark movie things in there like jump scares when this huge ass shark jumps out of the water, a typical beach scene where this huge shark decides to terrorize a beach, and of course the end which is always Jaw’s like. This isn’t a spoiler by the way because this happens in every shark movie. If you watch shark movies, then this must be expected. It’s not like the group of people hunting the shark and the shark ever come to an agreement and they go their separate ways with the shark only agreeing to eat other sea life and stay away from humans. Anyway, not only did this movie have all of that, but it also had a love story. This was a bit confusing and really unnecessary, but hey it was there. Who cares if it took away from the actual movie about a Megalodon just to show that two people who are thrown together because of a situation can find love again. I’m assuming that this was thrown in there to attract more women to watch this movie because who doesn’t want to see a movie about a killer shark terrorizing beaches and also watch two people fall in love? Despite all of that I really enjoyed this movie and it was a fun one to watch.

While there was a cast of actors in this movie, the main focus was always on Jason Statham for the most part. Sure, Rainn Wilson was in it as well as Ruby Rose and a bunch of other actors, but they kind of got thrown to the side as this shark movie kind of turned into a shark / action adventure movie that focused on Jason Statham’s character. Even though they could have focused on the other people in this movie, I think there just wasn’t enough time as it basically became Jason Statham Vs. Megalodon. This was fine and it worked for the movie so no complaints here.

Overall I give this movie a 4 out of 5.

I would say that if you’re a fan of the shark movie genre, then this is a movie that you can’t miss because it has everything that a typical shark movie has. Also if you’re a fan of shark movies that have a little bit more to them like science or even a love story then this is also a good movie to watch. If you’re tired of typical shark movies, I would still recommend this movie because it has a lot more than just the typical shark movie things. If you’ve ever wanted to see Jason Statham Vs. A Shark, then why not see this movie? Anyway, I thought this movie was a fun two hour release from actual life and it was a movie that kept me captivated so I wasn’t looking at my phone every two seconds. Will I watch it again? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean that this movie should be overlooked. It’s just one of those one and done movies.

Dog Days Review

This was one of those movie that I had wanted to see in the theater, but it was also one of those movies that was in the theater for about a week before it was pulled to put something else in its place. Don’t you just hate that? There can be movies that play for months and months in the movie theater that are seriously over rated and over played, but smaller movies get pulled after a week. Anyway, I saved myself some money and decided to rent it on PSN. Not knowing all that much going in except that it was a movie about dogs and the people around them, I didn’t know what to expect so keep reading to find out what I thought about this movie.

In similar fashion to Valentine’s Day and New Years Eve, this movie will follow the lives of six different people who will be all influenced by the dogs around them. Let’s start with Elizabeth, played by Nina Dobrev. Elizabeth, anchorwoman for a local TV morning news station, has her dog Sam who she adopted with her boyfriend, who then just happened to cheat on her sending herself and Sam into a deep depression that is only broken when she starts falling for her new co-host. Then you have Tara, played by Vanessa Hudgens. Tara is a simple barista who pines away for the handsome vet across the street from the shop she works at. Trying to find a way to meet the vet, she’ll finally do so when she finds a little chihuahua hiding behind a dumpster where she works. Too bad her building doesn’t allow dogs and she has to hand it over to a local shelter run by Garrett, played by John Bass. Garrett has a crush on Tara and it’s obvious to everyone but Tara because she’s too busy pining away for the local vet. Garret will take in this little helpless chihuahua and name it Gertrude because he notices that Tara is a Gertrude Stein fan. Garret’s world will start to fall apart when the landlord of his shelter sells the building out from under him making him and Tara work closely together to find a way to keep it open. Then there’s Dax, played by Adam Pally. Dax is irresponsible and the typical bachelor who is forced to take in Charlie after his sister gives birth to twins. Charlie will teach Dax all about responsibility and what it means to be an actual adult. Then you have Walter, played by Ron Cephas Jones. Walter has settled into a routine with his overweight little pug Maddie especially after his wife died. All this will change as Maddie will get lost one day while going for a walk which is where Grace, played by Eva Longoria will come in. Grace is a new mom to her adopted daughter but is finding it hard to bond with her until they find Maddie. Maddie will come into their lives and help them find that connection and make them become a family. All of these people will eventually cross paths for this heartwarming little story.

Being the dog lover that I am, I really enjoyed this movie and the stories that were told throughout it. I thought that it did a good job of taking the similar type of storytelling that was done in Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve and just running with it by using the same direction but revolving it around how dogs changed people’s lives. Sure, it was your typical Rom-Com movie, but everyone needs that every now and again. The story was funny at times, sad at other times, and heartwarming at other times. It was the perfect combination of all three of these things and ended on a really high note because it is a typical Rom-Com movie, just with dogs.

The cast was perfect for this movie making it even more enjoyable. While not all of them have a lot of interaction with one another, each actor holds his/her own and really own the story that he/she is telling. When they do interact, it’s perfect as the cast for this movie was just perfectly put together. Not to mention that probably the real stars of this movie are the adorable dogs that they used which were really fitting to each story that was being told. The dogs reflected their “owners” kind of like how it is in real life.

Overall I give this movie a 5 out of 5.

I’m a complete sucker for these types of movies and this movie played right into it. It was a Rom-Com to begin with and as a girl, I’m predisposition into liking these kinds of movies, not to mention that it had dogs in it and I absolutely love dogs. Anyway, if you enjoyed movies like Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve, then I would say that you’ll also enjoy this movie so you should watch it. Even if you didn’t enjoy those other movies, but are a fan of Rom-Com’s then I think that you’ll like this movie as it has everything a typical Rom-Com has. If Rom-Com’s aren’t your type of movie then you’re going to want to give this one a strong pass because it has everything a you can expect from a typical Rom-Com movie.

American Mary Review

So to be honest with you, I never really had any intention to watch this movie which I just considered to be another B horror movie not worthy of my time. It wasn’t until this past October when I met the Soska Sisters at Spooky Empire that I changed my mind. Not only are they both the nicest people to meet in person, but their panel, which you can watch the full thing here, intrigued me to look more into their work. American Mary was first on my list since it was the first one I could find. Keep reading to see what I thought of the movie that I had originally brushed off.

American Mary is about Mary, played by Katharine Isabelle, who is a medical student in desperate need of money. So what do medical students in need of money usually do? They turn to stripping. Turns out Mary isn’t so good at stripping, but she is good surgery, which she has been practicing on her own time on chickens / turkeys. When her stripping interview doesn’t go how she expected, she finds herself being offered an obscene amount of money in order to patch some random guy up. Taking the owner of the strip club up on his offer, she patches this guy up and is off with her money. Thinking that this is just a fluke, Mary is soon contacted by Beatress, played by Tristan Risk, to apply her talents into body modification for friend. Not wanting to turn away the money and the practice, Mary takes on this project thinking that this will be her last until something traumatic happens causing her to drop out of medical school and turn to body modification as her way of income.

I have to say that I absolutely loved this movie. Not only is it well written, but it doesn’t turn Mary into a victim after her traumatic event. It turns her into someone who’s kind of dead inside as she deals with her event, but it also turns her into someone who helps people with their body modification surgeries. The only person she seeks revenge on is the one who wronged her while she goes out and helps other people achieve their body modification goals whether it be a forked tongue, or her most extreme surgery which involved switching the arms of two twins, played by none other than the Soska sisters themselves. She doesn’t go all psycho and use her talents to take revenge on everyone. I think that this is the difference between if a man would have written this movie rather than two women. If a man would have written this movie, Mary wouldn’t have become dead inside and helped people she would have become this psycho killer who just killed for the hell of it. The fact that Mary makes this transition after her event makes her a really thought out character and a character that has a lot of depth to her. Since this is a horror movie, it wouldn’t be one without a twist ending that in this setting seems more bittersweet than necessary because once again, Mary doesn’t go out on some killing spree and is actually trying to get her life together.

The cast for this movie is just so fitting that it’s like the roles were made for these specific people. Katharine Isabelle played the perfect Mary and she really makes the whole movie. Of course the cameo by the Soska sisters didn’t hurt the movie either and only amplified it. Not to mention a huge kudos as to go out to Tristian Risk who plays Beatress to perfection as she’s gone from place to place to make herself into a living version of Betty Boop.

Overall I give this movie a 5 out of 5.

This was just an awesome movie that I clearly misjudged which was a mistake on my part. I think this movie is a rare horror masterpiece that goes right up there with American Psycho. It has an actual plot, of course some gore, and a bittersweet but fitting ending. I would say that if you’re a horror movie fan then you can’t miss out on this movie because it’s a must watch. If you aren’t a horror movie fan, I would still say to give this movie a chance because while it has it’s gruesome and typical horror movie tropes, it’s so much more than that. This is also one of those movies that the more you watch it, the more little bits and pieces you see and each time you get a better understanding of the movie as a whole.