courtrainacorn Reviews

The Bikeriders (2023)

A long and rambling road to nowhere

[2/10 · 18 June 2024]

Got to see this at an early AMC Screen Unseen showing, went in openminded, and left feeling confused about the point of what I had just watched.

I get that this movie is based mostly from a book of collected photographs, so it makes sense that the entire thing felt like a series of disarrayed vignettes strung together, but because of that it was hard to find a plot that made the watch worthwhile. I honestly found it hard to make a connection with any of the characters to gain a true interest and pull into their lives - everything felt very surface level.

Visually, the movie is great. There's some kind of filter being used in certain scenes to try and set the mood that made for a weird visual, but the actual film work is top-notch. Everything they shoot with the bikes looks fantastic. And honestly, that's the best take away I have after watching.

I was born and raised in the Midwest U. S. and have always had an interest in the inner-workings of biker gangs, but this movie had me leaving the theater feeling flat.

Boy Kills World (2023)

A full-throttle romp into absolute mayhem

[7/10 · 23 April 2024]

I got the chance to see this movie early at an AMC Unseen Screen event -- and considering I was walking in thinking they were going to show the new Amy Winehouse biopic -- I was pleasantly surprised when we got our opening shots and realized I was in for a much different ride than I'd previously anticipated.

My immediate reaction is to compare Boy Kills World to John Wick -- it's certainly just as bloody. But the continuous underlying thread of humor throughout this movie juxtaposed with the gratuitous violence puts it more into the realm of Bullet Train in my mind.

Bill Skarsgård's physical acting paired with H. Jon Benjamin's voice acting was a matchup I never knew I needed in my life. There were several times where I genuinely laughed out loud -- even when the next scene was a quick crash to someone getting their head smooshed. They did a great job blending the action with the comedy while still getting you to care about the main character and his plight.

Definitely not for the weak of heart or stomach -- but if you're looking for a bloody fun romp through absolute mayhem that doesn't require much from you as a viewer, then you've found your film. I just saw it last night and I still say I'd for sure go see it again, even so soon after viewing.